Differences Aside
by FantasyFangirl13
Summary: Four months after Sarah's adventure in the Labyrinth, things are looking up. Her relationships with Toby and Karen are as strong as ever! And she can also catch up with Hoggle, Ludo, and the gang whenever she pleases. But something is up in the Underground. Jareth hasn't been seen in months. The Goblins haven't been seen in 24 hours. And the fairies have disappeared. IGNORE SEQUEL!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, readers! I just wanted to let you in on a few important thigns: 1) This is not a JS story (although I ship it, but only if she is older). 2) This is a tale of trust and friendship, and it is full of both humor and drama. 3) This has a few OCs for necessity purposes. And 4) I said Hoggle was a troll in here, but it has been brought to my attention that he's actually a dwarf. Sorry for the mistake, and I will make sure to fix it in all my other future _Labyrinth_ stories.**

 **Thank you, and please enjoy, and review.**

 **Differences Aside**

"Alright, c'mon, Toby. One more time. You can do it!" Sarah pulled the lever on her baby brother's _See 'n Say_ for what felt like the thousandth time _._ The arrow in the middle began to spin, and ended up landing on the cat. A robotic voice came out of the speakers, and explained, " _The cat goes meow."_

Sarah set down the toy, and looked at Toby, expectantly. "Now you say it." she grinned. "What does the cat say? C'mon, Toby, say 'meow'."

But he only looked at her and giggled. Apparently watching his sister make a bunch of animal noises was very amusing. But Sarah was starting to give up hope. Toby should've started to pick up words. He was the right age, and he was a very smart baby. But for some reason, he hadn't figured out even the simplest words, like "Dada" or "doggie".

Sarah sighed, but her smile remained. "You know something? I'm starting to think you can talk just fine, and you just like watching me make cat sounds." she got to her feet and began to dance around, singing, "Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meeeoooooowww!"

Toby laughed even harder, an excited, innocent laugh. The storm outside raged, thunder boomed, and lightning crackled across the sky. Usually, bad weather would frighten the baby, but he was too distracted by his Cat Sister.

"Meow. Meow. Meow, meow, meow!"

A symphony of sounds had filled the room. Thunder. Rain pounding on the windows and the roof. Laughter. Cat sounds. But throughout all of the noise, one stood out to Sarah.

" _Hooo. Hoo, hooo."_

She stopped meowing instantly, fear gripping her. _It's not him._ she told herself. _You defeated him. You didn't summon him. He's not here. It's just an owl. Just a regular owl. Stop. Being. Paranoid._ She looked back at Toby, who looked like he was getting tired. _It_ is _getting late._ she realized. _I should probably put him to bed before he gets cranky._

"C'mere, Toby. Oh, you're getting so big." He squirmed a little in his favorite red and white striped pajamas as she picked him up, then laid him in his crib. Sarah smiled as Toby looked up at her with his bright blue eyes. "Still wide awake, huh? Or at least you're trying to be. Alright, what do you want, hm? You want a story?"

And there they were. The very words she had spoken four months ago. Back when she detested her half-brother, and her stepmother, Karen. That was why she had done what she did. _That's why I summoned the Goblin King._ Sarah admitted.

" _Hooo, hoo. Hoo, hoo, hoooo."_

She jumped at the sound. _It's just an owl. But...but I was just thinking about him. What if…?_ She glanced at the window. A memory struck her mind like the lighting outside: A white barn owl tapped at the window, and goblins popped up out of nowhere. When she looked back at the window, the Goblin King himself was standing in it, looking pleased with himself.

Sarah's breath caught in her throat, and she shook her head, vigorously. It was just her imagination. He wasn't there. He wasn't coming for Toby. He could only do that if she wished it, and she would never make that mistake again. She loved Toby. He was family. Glancing back into the crib, she saw Toby was asleep. _Good. This was starting to get scary…_

"Sarah?" Karen called. "Sarah, we're leaving now."

"Wait, wait, let us say goodbye!" She ran down the stairs, carrying Toby along with her. "Bye, Karen." she said, wrapping her free arm around her stepmom. "Have fun at the movies." She let go of her, and latched onto her dad, kissing his cheek. "Say bye-bye, Toby." But again, he only giggled.

"I know it seems like we go out a lot, but we try to limit it to once a week."

"And it has been a week, so you're free to go." Sarah smiled. "I haven't watched Toby since last Friday."

"Thanks for being so understanding." Karen grinned. "Your father and I need some time out once in awhile."

"Then what are you waiting for? Get out of here, you crazy kids!"

Karen laughed. "Alright, just make sure you brush Toby's teeth extra well. Now that he has all of them, I don't want them yellow." She wrapped her scarf around her neck, and opened the door.

"We'll be back around midnight." her dad explained. "Don't wait up. Be in bed by ten thirty. Deal?"

"Got it."

"Thanks again, honey. Have a good night."

"You too." And she closed the door behind him. Stepping away from the door, she listened intently.

No storm.

No thunder.

No wind.

And no _owls_.

 _Good._ Sarah thought. _That's the way it should be._ She hadn't seen or heard the owl since the last time she'd been left to watch her brother. After a few days, she wondered if it was just her imagination. After all, how could she had heard one owl over a raging storm?

The night went on as usual after that. She fed Toby, and made herself some macaroni and cheese. Then she finished her Science homework, and started her Math while he was watching _Blue's Clues._ The night seemed to fly by, and before she knew it, it was Toby's bed time. When she picked him up, he was already half asleep, and therefore, didn't put up much protest. She laid him down in his crib, placed Lancelot the bear next to him, and shut off the light. "Good night, Toby." she whispered.

 _That was one of the easiest nights with him, I think._ Sarah smiled, heading into her own bedroom.

It was all downhill from there.

Sarah's room was decorated with many theatrical, some even childish things. The shelves were full of books of every genre, but mainly fantasy. The walls were also full of wooden shelves, each holding a teddy bear. Only one was empty. It had held Lancelot, who now belonged to Toby. Her bed was made neatly, with many pillows, and white sheets. A tack board held many playbills, from _Little Women_ to _The Wizard of Oz._ And finally, there was her vanity, which was full of lipsticks, blush, a sparkling tiara she used as a prop, and a copy of the book that had changed her life.

 _The Labyrinth._

She sat down, and picked up the book. _Weird how much dust can accumulate over just a few months._ she thought, flicking through the pages. Memories floated to the front of her mind: Meeting Hoggle, choosing a door knocker, getting stuck in an oubliette, rescuing Ludo, asking permission from Sir Didymus...and fighting a final battle with Jareth in the Esher Room.

" _Sarah, look what I'm offering you: your dreams."_

His words echoed in her mind. It had been his last resort. She was on the brink of defeating him, and he thought he could bribe her. He thought wrong. She had learned a lot during her trip through the Labyrinth: She couldn't take everything for granted. Nothing was as it seemed. True friendship requires forgiveness. Life's not fair. All these things combined to show her one thing: Jareth had no power over her.

The eyes of the Goblin King reappeared in her mind. His bright blue one sparkled, while the brown one seemed a bit dull. She shook her head again. Why did she keep thinking of him, of all things?

 _You need to clear your head._ she decided. _You need to talk to someone. Someone you_ know _will listen._ She looked into the mirror, took a breath, and spoke. "...I need you, Hoggle."

And just like that, a face appeared in place of her reflection. His face was very lined and aged, most likely from stress. His eyes were dark green, yet gentle and inviting. His nose was bulbous, ears pointed, and his hair - apart from his light brown eyebrows - was wispy and white. "Sarah!" The troll shouted, happily. "What a surprise to hear from you again so soon. I'm glad you called. How are you? Is everything alright?"

"Nice to hear from you, too." She smiled. "I'm alright, just watching Toby again. I just put him to sleep, actually. And yeah, everything's okay. I just needed to talk, you know?"

"Well, you always got me." Hoggle grinned, proudly. "By the way, last time we talked, you told me you heard an owl around. Have you seen it since? It could be-"

"Jareth." she finished. "That was my first thought, too."

"I swear, if he's trying to spy on you, I'll march straight up to his castle, and...and...uhh...give me a minute."

Sarah laughed. "That's alright, Hoggle. I'm sure you'd give him what he deserved. Besides, I haven't heard a hoot out of it. I'm starting to think it was just my imagination."

"Oh, good. Glad to hear it." Hoggle's eyes suddenly grew a bit wider. "Oh! I almost forgot. Speaking of Jareth...something weird's goin' on."

Fear took hold again, and her muscles tightened. "What do you mean? What's he doing?"

"Nothin'." Hoggle explained. "That's the thing: No one's seen hide nor hair of him since you defeated him. And that's not all: Now the goblins have vanished."

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't seen one of 'em all day. I mean, sure, they're a buncha good-for-nothin' drunks, and maybe they're all just getting over a rough hangover...but that…. _and_ Jareth staying up in his castle for months…"

"You think he might be planning something?"

Hoggle frowned, but slowly nodded. "That's the way it seems."

"What should we do?"

"Well, the guys and I….we were wonderin'...do you think you could...come back?"

Sarah was taken aback. Go back to the Labyrinth? Run it all over? Risk falling into another Goblin King plot?

Hoggle's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Sarah…" She looked up. He paused, as if the words coming out of his mouth hurt. "Last time, we were all together, facing him. And I felt safe, so I was brave. But now...we don't know what he's doing, but we _do_ know he's not happy with us. 'Specially me." He said the last part quieter than the rest, and began to rub the back of his neck. "Even though we defeated him...he's still a lot stronger and more powerful than us. Thing is, Sarah…" He looked up and met her eyes. "...We're scared."

At that moment, all of the fear and panic in Sarah disappeared. She realized that this time, Jareth would go after them as well, not just her. They wanted her to be there, so they could feel protected by the person who defeated him. They wanted to feel safe in case they had to fight him again.

They needed her.

She took a deep breath, and set _The Labyrinth_ back on the dresser. "How do I get there?" Hoggle's face brightened. "Last time he brought me there. I don't know any other way."

"Haven't you figured it out? The mirror. It's a portal through our worlds. That's how we can talk to each other. That's how we can all be there for you when you need us. Step through it, and you're here."

"Alright, I'm coming. Wait, what about Toby?"

They both pondered this for a while. Hoggle broke the silence. "Bring him along. For all we know, Jareth wants you to leave him so he can snatch him back, and make you play his entire game all over."

 _Sounds like something he would do._ "Well, in that case, give me a few minutes. I'll have to pack a baby bag. I don't know how long this journey will take. But I have to be home before Karen and my dad come home at midnight, or they'll get worried." She glanced at the clock. It was only seven o'clock. She had five hours.

"Oh, don't worry. Time works different in the Labyrinth." The troll assured her.

Sarah walked back into Toby's room and picked him up. He squirmed and made protesting noise. Apparently, she had woken him up. "I know, I know, you just went to sleep. But this is for your own good. I'm trying to help you. If I'm going to face the Goblin King again, I need to make sure I don't make the same mistakes."

She walked around her house, collecting things she might need. She got a few jars of baby food, bottles, formula, diapers, the baby carrier, some random food from the fridge, baby powder, the first aid kit, _The Labyrinth_ , and Lancelot. Then she laced up her running shoes, and looked around. _I guess that's all I need._

When she went back to her room, the mirror was empty. Sarah slung the baby bag over her shoulder, Toby asleep on the other, and stood on her dresser. "A portal. So I just...step into it?" She looked into the mirror. Her reflection seemed to call to her, beg her to come closer. She stepped hesitantly towards the glass. _If I do it wrong, I walk into glass, probably fall, and break my mirror, not to mention possibly hurt Toby. But...what other way would it be?_ She touched the mirror with her toe, and gasped. It went through. The glass was almost like liquid. She took a deep breath, shut her eyes, and stepped through.


	2. Chapter 2

Slowly, Sarah opened her eyes. It was as dark in the Labyrinth as it was in her world. She could barely see. After a minute, her eyes adjusted, and she could make out the walls of the Labyrinth...and the castle beyond the Goblin City. _That's where I'm going. Again._

Sarah was standing in front of the door to the Labyrinth. _It feels like I just did this yesterday._ She bounced Toby gently on her shoulder. "Well...come on, feet." She stepped up to the door, and reached out for the handle, but before she could touch it, it began to swing forward. Quickly, she jumped back, as it creaked open, breaking the quiet of the night.

"Sarah come soon?" asked a gruff voice.

"She said she needed time to pack, and get her brother. But she should be on the way, yeah."

A lantern lit up the faces of her two best friends. "Ludo! Hoggle!" she shouted, happily.

"Sarah!" The two yelled in unison. Toby squirmed and whined.

"Oh, sorry. We'll be quieter." she whispered. Hoggle walked up to her, holding a lantern. She got down and hugged him, then tried her best to get her arms around Ludo's giant build. He was an enormous creature with long, brown fur, massive hands and feet, horns on the side of his head that curled down, small but pointy teeth, floppy, dog-like ears, and small brown eyes. On the outside, Ludo looked a bit on the ferocious side. But he was really a gentle giant that could get along with anyone.

"Wait, where's Didymus? And Ambrosius?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, he left a few days ago for another kingdom. Ambrosius had a vet appointment. He should be back in a week or so. Nothing was wrong with the dog, it's just a long journey."

"I see. So it's just the three of us this time."

"Sarah come to help." Ludo grinned.

"That's right, Ludo. Whatever the Goblin King is up to, we're going to stop it." she turned to Hoggle. "Has anything else happened other than the disappearing goblins?"

Hoggle thought it over for a minute. "Ummmm...no, not that I know of. Ludo and I were just checking up on everything: The Fireys are still playing with their heads, the Four Cards are still giving riddles, one Door Knocker is still deaf, and the other is mute, the Junk Lady has even more junk in her trunk...think that's everything."

"If that's the only thing, it's a good sign." Sarah said. "Maybe we caught on early." She looked at Hoggle and smiled. _Maybe this won't be like last time. After all, I've done this before. And I have two of my most trusted friends with me._ She laughed to herself. _And to think, when I first met Hoggle, I thought he was a fairy-killing monster._ Realization took a good whack to Sarah's face. "Hoggle? Where are the fairies? Last time, they were right her by the entrance."

The troll gasped. "You know what? I forgot about them! Boy, some Fairy Exterminator _I_ am! Come to think of it, I haven't seen _them_ all day either."

"So the goblins _and_ fairies are missing. That's even weirder. The goblins make sense, I mean, he's the _Goblin King._ But what would he want with fairies?"

"Got me." Hoggle shrugged. "But we ain't gonna find out just standing here." The doors creaked open again, revealing the enormous maze. Hoggle and Ludo began to walk towards it, but Sarah lagged behind, hearing the Goblin King's voice, as if he was right behind her, whispering in her ear.

" _You have thirteen hours in which to solve the labyrinth, before your baby brother becomes one of us... forever."_

Sarah looked at Toby, who was sleeping on her shoulder, his small fists holding her shirt, loosely. "You're not gonna get him this time." she told the castle, quietly. "I'm not the same girl who summoned you months ago. I know you Labyrinth, and I know you. Therefore, I'm not going to make the same mistakes. I've played your game before, so even if you want a rematch, I assure you, Goblin King, you will _never_ have power over me."

"Sarah?" Hoggle called from around the corner. "You comin'?"

"Yeah, right here."

She caught up with them, and the 3 and a half of them- counting the sleeping baby- walked along the narrow pathway of the Labyrinth. "It feels like I was just here." Sarah mumbled.

"You mean you think we went in a circle?" Hoggle asked.

"No, I just mean a few months goes by so fast. Everything is so familiar."

"Yeah, seems like yesterday you were runnin' through this thing as clueless as ever...no offense. You beat it eventually. And it's rat of a king. Now you just have to do it again. And it'll be easier this time, because you know what to expect."

Sarah smiled, some of her anxiety leaving. "That's true. I've done this before. I know to watch out for oubliettes, tell the helping Hands to throw you up instead of down, and never eat peaches."

"Yeah...sorry about that."

"Hoggle, it's alright. You made up for your mistake. You were scared, so you did what you did, but then you came back and helped us fight Jareth." A shiver ran up her spine. She usually tried her best not to say his actual name.

"Thanks, Sarah." Hoggle smiled. "You're a true friend. Speaking of which, what do you 'spect he's up to this time? Think he's after the baby? Revenge? Both?"

"I'm not sure. It's all...very weird. Missing goblins tells me he's planning something _big_ , which is why he needs his, ummm...minions. But the fairies? That throws me off."

Sarah stopped, suddenly. _That's it._ she thought. _That's why he took the fairies._ "It's a distraction."

"Wuh?" Ludo asked, tilting his head.

"He only took the fairies to keep us from finding out what he's really up to. He's trying to throw us off his trail."

"Like a red herring?"

"Exactly, Hoggle." Sarah nodded. "So, what we need to do is ignore the fact that they're missing. What's most important is that neither the goblins nor their King have been seen in awhile."

"Right. Let's keep going." Hoggle agreed, along with a grunt from Ludo.

 _He almost tricked me._ Again! _If we kept thinking thinking about the fairies, he could've had us right where he wanted us. Curse you, Jareth. Whatever you're planning, you won't get away with it. This is just like last time. I defeated you then, and I can do it now._

"So, how have things been these last few months?" Hoggle asked, after a few more twists and turns.

"A lot has changed, actually. I mean, Dad still doesn't notice me a lot, but Toby and I are getting along much better. Guess you just sort of form a bond once you save someone from a crazy Goblin King, hm?"

Hoggle laughed. "Guess Jareth _is_ good for something. But what about your,uh, stepmom?"

"Karen? Things are good between us, too, I guess. I mean, I appreciate her more, and don't look at her like an evil witch anymore."

"Yeah, but that had nothing to do with the Labyrinth. What changed?"

Memories flooded Sarah's mind. Ones she had pushed back long ago. "I...I don't know. It...it doesn't matter. What matters right now is stopping Jareth." _Darn! Said his name again._

"Uh….yeah, right." Hoggle said, a bit confused. "So, then, what's the plan?"

"Well, I guess we have to figure out just what he's doing before we can plan against it. For all we know, he could be...I don't know, at a four month hair appointment or something."

"Good one, Sarah. But really, what could he be doing that takes that long? Other than pouting. Bet losing to you really damaged his ego."

"That's alright, he has so much, it'll heal quick."

"True."

"If I had to guess, I'd say revenge. I don't think he wants Toby this time. He wouldn't need goblins for that really, right? He could just do it himself if he really wanted to. No, I think it's me he wants now. He wants a rematch to show his will is stronger."

"Well, he's got you. You're here now. Maybe...maybe that wasn't the best idea."

"No, Hoggle, it was good to bring me here. If you didn't, I couldn't help. He wants me, he's gonna get me."

"What Sarah do?" Ludo asked.

"I'm not sure yet." she smirked. "Maybe mess up his hair."

They laughed a kind of laugh only good friends can share. But it was interrupted by an odd noise that echoed through the walls.

"Did...did you hear that?" Sarah asked, the smile fleeing from her face.

"Think it was Ludo's stomach."

"Wuh?" The beast questioned. "Nuh uh."

"Well, what else could it have been? Face it," Hoggle stated. "Something just didn't agree with you. Nothing to be ashamed of 'er nothin'."

"Nuh uh. Not Ludo."

"I don't think it was him." Sarah said, quietly. She stared up at the tops of the Labyrinth walls, as if expecting something. _Something's out there._ she decided. _And it's not friendly._

Again, a ferocious sound tore through the silence. "A'right. It wasn't Ludo, I guess." Hoggle agreed. "But...but I ain't never heard anything like that. Sounded like...like a lion, 'er something."

"Ludo scared."

"It's alright." Sarah said. But she wasn't quite sure exactly who she was reassuring. "Whatever it is, I'm sure we can handle it."

"Uhh….yeah, right." Hoggle nodded, though he didn't sound too certain.

Sarah took another step, trying her best to focus on the task at hand.

 _Snap!_

"Careful, Sarah."

"That...wasn't me."

They stood, frozen as popsicles. Something was close. Something was angry. Something was after them. Sarah was paralyzed, staring at the top of the walls. Waiting. Dreading. Fearing.

Everything was silent. No one moved. No one spoke. No one took a breath. After a minute, she began to wonder if maybe they were safe. _It might have left. Maybe it was just Ludo stepping on something without knowing. Maybe -_

A monstrous roar echoed through the Labyrinth, pounding on Sarah's skull, as the beast leapt onto the wall in front of them. It was nothing like Sarah could've imagined: Rocky, dark gray skin, a build like a large dog, bat-like ears, sharp teeth, blood red eyes, large hands and feet, and enormous wings.

Her breath was caught in her throat as it eyed her, growling. "H-H-Hoggle? What is _that?"_

" _Run!"_ The troll screamed, darting down the next turn with his limpy little legs.

Sarah and Ludo exchanged glances, both in shock. The creature bared it's teeth, and leapt from its perch. The two ran after Hoggle, screaming.

"Hoggle?!" Sarah shouted. "Hoggle, where are you?" The creature persude them, taking flight. "What _is_ that thing?!" _This isn't right._ she thought, frantically, racing down another path. _I didn't see this last time. I didn't know Jareth-_ the Goblin King!- _had monsters like this! He just had goblins! That's where his title comes from! Goblin King, not Gargoyle thing!_

"Sarah!" came a familiar voice. Hoggle! But she couldn't tell where it was coming from. The roaring and running had woken up Toby, and he was crying right in her ear.

"Hoggle? Where are you?!" She darted left, Ludo on her heels, and saw him a few feet in front of her. "Hoggle, what do we do?!"

"This way, just keep runnin'!" He went down the next path, and they followed, wondering how long the monster was going to keep this up. Sarah turned Toby the other way, so he couldn't see the monster anymore. Her heart was racing, and she was _really_ glad she was wearing gym shoes. What was going on? What happened to the Labyrinth? Before, it had seemed like a crazy place full of zany, yet nice people all ruled by a total pig! But now...now it had _monsters?!_ Sarah couldn't understand it. "Where are we going?!"

"Forwards!"

"But what are you-" But he had gotten too far ahead to hear her. She just had to trust he had a plan. They ran for who knew how long, and Sarah felt like they were going in circles. Ever so often she turned around to see if Ludo was keeping up, and to see if perhaps the Gargoyle had gotten sick of chasing them around.

That didn't seem like it was going to happen anytime soon.

"Hoggle?!"

"Almost there!"

"Almost _where?!"_

"Just keep runnin'!"

 _I hope he knows what he's doing._ Sarah thought. _When did the Goblin King get the power to summon Gargoyles?! Then again, his powers are kinda all over the place: teleportation, crystal balls, poisoned fruit, illusions, not to mention he turns into a owww"WHOA!"_

Her train of thought was interrupted as she fell through the ground itself, down, down, down into a large hole. She landed flat on her back with an "Oof!", while clutching Toby to her stomach. "Ouch. Alright, that one hurt. Oh, Toby, are you okay? It's okay, don't cry." She sat up and started bouncing him, then looked around. "Ludo! Are you hurt?" He got up and groaned, but nodded after a minute. "Good. Hoggle?"

"Over here, you two." The troll was standing over in the corner, holding a set of keys. "Pretty good plan, huh? Lead us to an oubliette so the monster would lose us."

"Hoggle, you're a genius." Sarah told him, walking over to hug him again. "Do you know where all of these are?"

"Most of 'em. They usually don't move as much as everything else in the Labyrinth. Only the walls shift most of the time. The things in it, like the oubliettes, rarely do."

"What about the castle?"

"It's never moved an inch. I don't think it can."

 _Good. Maybe if the walls cooperate, we can remember how we got there last time, so I can give the King a piece of my mind! I mean, unleashing_ monsters _on your innocent subjects? Too far, your_ Majesty! _Kings are supposed to_ protect _their people, not_ attack _them!_

"Darn." Hoggle mumbled, as a bunch of cleaning supplies tumbled out of the small door he'd unlocked."Broom closet. I always mix that up." He closed the door, and put the lock in it's right side. "Why is there a broom closet down here, anyway? Not like anyone who gets stuck down here is gonna feel like cleanin'. Here we go!" The door swung open again, revealing a long, stone pathway. Sarah remembered this from last time, walking with Hoggle, and, once again, getting duped by Jareth, who had been disguised as a beggar.

Ludo nearly got stuck in the small door, but they thankfully all made it out of the oubliette. The hall was dimly lit, and a bit damp. Toby was fine through the stoned faced False Alarms they passed, but started to whimper when it got darker. Sarah started to bounce him on her shoulder. "Shh, shhh, it's okay. Nothing scary down here."

"Right." Hoggle nodded. "Long as we don't run into the Cleaners, or a dead end, or Jareth when we aren't prepared, or get stuck in the Bog of….oh, you're trying to comfort the baby. Got it. Well, we'll be outta here soon. See? Here's the ladder."

"You two head up. I can't carry Toby and climb at the same time." She got down on her knees, and placed Toby on the ground. Sarah rummaged through the baby bag, took out the baby carrier, strapped it on, then put Toby inside. He laughed a little, and looked up at his big sister. _Wonder if he's old enough to remember anything from last time. Would he recognize the Goblin King? Is he going to remember me wishing him away for the rest of his life?!_ With every rung Sarah grabbed, her guilt weighed heavier. Things were different between them. Toby wasn't a bother anymore. He was her brother. She was happy to look after him.

Well...she didn't get urges to wish him to foreign lands with psychotic monarchs.

Sarah poked her head through the circle of light at the top of the ladder and saw Hoggle and Ludo waiting for her. Ludo helped her out, while Hoggle covered the hole up with the large brown pot that hid it. In the distance, she heard a furious roar. "What was that thing?" she asked, nervously. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Me either." Hoggle confessed.

"Looked like some kind of...rock monster. Ludo have you seen anything like that before?"

"Nuh uh."

"Well...guess we can add that to the list of clues, right. Missing goblins, and now stone creatures . What could the Goblin King be _doing?"_

"Perhaps if you'd turn around," said a man with a thick British accent. "you'd find your answer."

Fear grabbed Sarah around the neck. _No….it can't be. How did he know we were here?_ She glanced at Ludo and Hoggle, who both had a frightened look on their faces, and their backs turned away from the voice and towards the roaring and growling. Slowly, all three of them turned around to face the new person.

There he was. Jareth, the Goblin King himself.


	3. Chapter 3

He looked exactly the same as the last time they'd met: blonde hair that was teased and wild, and calico eyes -one watery blue, the other brown-. He was dressed in a white, puffy pirate shirt, a black leather vest, dark gray pants that looked to be a _bit_ tight, and long, black heeled boots that went up past his ankles. Around his neck was an odd shaped pendant that was silver with a gold circle in the middle. It was so unique that part of Sarah wanted to get a closer look at it, to see if there was some sort of meaning behind it. But there was no _way_ she was getting that close to Jareth's chest.

The only thing that looked different about the Goblin King was his current position. Sarah spoke quietly, but tried to sound confident, reminding herself of those six special words. _He has no power over me._ "Is there...any particular reason you're hanging upside down?"

Even though he was topsy turvy, Sarah could still make out his eye roll, followed by a sarcastic smirk. "Oh, well, you know, sometimes I just feel like finding a random spot in the Labyrinth, tying my ankles together, and hanging myself upside down to make all the blood go to my head. I'm weird like that. No, the goblins have apparently been setting these little rope traps all over the place again. So when I get them back, I have to kill them. And I don't mean that metaphorically."

Toby wiggled in his carrier, again making Sarah wonder if he remember the Goblin King. "But the better question is" Jareth continued. "How and _why_ you're here again, Sarah. Although I already have an idea…" He glared menacingly at Hoggle.

"Leave him alone." Sarah growled.

"Or what?"

"Well, you aren't really in any position to make threats. You have no power over me, remember? Even when you are _over_ me."

The ground shook as another roar sounded. It was louder this time. "Sarah," Hoggle chimed. "Much as I enjoy seeing Jareth in this predicament, I think we should go before that thing catches up with us."

"Uh huh." Ludo nodded.

"You're right." Sarah agreed. She looked at a Jareth again. "But I promise you, Goblin King, whatever you're doing, I'm going to stop you."

"That's interesting, considering all I'm doing as of recently is losing feeling in my toes."

Sarah was taken aback. _He's not up to something?_

"Sarah, he's lyin' through his teeth. Look, he's trying to keep us here so that _thing_ can find us." Hoggle explained.

"Right," Jareth mocked. "I'm trying to get the bloodthirsty beast over here so it can bite my head off with ease. Higgle, you are nothing if not a genius."

"It's _Hoggle_."

"Wait, wait," Sarah started. "If you're not plotting something, then where are the goblins?"

"If I knew, do you really think I'd tell _you?"_

A deep growl sounded once again. "Sarah, really. We should go." Hoggle repeated.

 _They're right. We need to keep distance between us and that monster._ She glanced at Jareth again. _But what to do with_ this _one?_ "Well, if you're not the problem here, then what are you doing out in the middle of the Labyrinth?"

"Trying to get back to my castle. What do you _think_ I'm doing, just talking an afternoon stroll through a giant maze?!"

"So...you're really not planning anything against us."

"How could I when I just found out you were here?"

He had her there.

The ground shook. The beast was eerily near. "Let's get out of here!" Hoggle shouted, and he and Ludo ran around Jareth down the next pathway. Sarah began to follow, when Jareth spoke again.

"Are you _seriously_ thinking about just leaving me tied up here for that Gargoyle?!" he yelled. His tone was far from hurt, or even afraid. It was more like, "Seriously, you little brat? I'm the bloody King!"

Sarah skidded to a stop. "Use your magic!"

"I can't!"

"What do you mean you can't?!"

"Look, it's a long story. Just get me down from here!"

Sarah went into deep thought. _He's hanging upside down, tied up, and a monster is coming. He's defenseless for some reason. Unless he_ isn't _and that's just a way for him to trick me into "helping" him, so that creature can show up and he can throw me to it._

 _But he didn't know I was here until a few minutes ago. How could he plan this entire thing out in that short time?_

 _His crystals. He can use his crystals to spy on me. He might have know I was coming, and made this whole trap up while we were running from the monster._

 _But what if this_ isn't _a trick, and he really needs help?_

 _He's my enemy, what do I care?_

 _But if I leave, and he's being honest, then that monster could kill him._

 _Can Jareth die? He doesn't look a day older than the last time. He may be immortal._

 _But I could be wrong._

 _I have two choices:_

 _Go with what I know, leave the Goblin King here, and catch up with Hoggle and Ludo before that thing shows up. Or_

 _Make the possibly horrible decision to believe Jareth, help him down, and risk getting killed by the Gargoyle, or being at the mercy at the Goblin King._

 _Well Sarah, ask yourself: If you were to leave, and Jareth was killed because you didn't believe him, could you live with that? Granted, he's your enemy, but a life is a life all the same. Could you wake up tomorrow and get dressed knowing the Goblin King was mauled by a monster after needing your help, and it was your fault?_

Jareth cleared his throat. "I don't mean to rush you, but I've lost all the feeling in my ankles."

Sarah knew her answer. No matter who they were, she couldn't leave someone who could be in danger. Even if it meant possibly putting herself in a worse situation. Besides, thanks to that Gargoyle encounter, she knew something was going on in the Labyrinth. Something she had never dealt with before. There was a good chance Jareth knew more than she did. And she couldn't get him to tell her what he knew if his face was being chewed off.

"Well, it's about time." The King scoffed as Sarah jogged back over to him.

"Just be glad I'm doing this at all, and don't make me regret it." Sarah said. "God, you're tall. I can't reach the knot." She cringed, knowing what had to happen. "You have to pick me up."

"Remind me of my options again."

"Either pick me up so I can untie your leg, or wait for that rock thing to bite you in half."

"Get over here before my brain explodes from all the blood running to it."

Sarah shuddered as Jareth's arms wrapped around her legs awkwardly, and lifted her about a foot off the ground. "If you drop me, I swear…"

"Trust me, I'm not enjoying this any more than you are."

"'Trust me'." Sarah repeated, fiddling with the large knot. "That must be the most ironic thing you've ever said."

"Just work on the bloody rope." The ground shook again. "With a little urgency, if you could."

"Hey, I'm doing the best I can. It's pitch black out here. Wait, I got it!"

"Hold on, let me _ahhh!"_

"Whoa!" Sarah shouted as she suddenly began to fall. Luckily, something….or some _one_ cushioned her.

"You could've let me brace myself before you did that!" Jareth yelled. "And get off me!"

Sarah didn't move from her position on Jareth's stomach, only looked down at him."I think a 'thank you' is in order here."

"Over my dead body! And may I remind you that while you're here _sitting_ on me, there are several bloodthirsty creatures out on a hunt?!"

Sarah realized that they needed to move, and quickly. She needed to go find Hoggle and Ludo again. But she needed to make sure of one thing first. "If you're not the problem this time, then who's side are you on?"

"My own!"

"That's not too reassuring."

"Get the heck off me, before I make you!"

 _I think that's as far as I'm going to get. And the ground is shaking even worse!_ She got to her feet, and was about to offer Jareth a hand when she remembered she hated his guts. He got up on his own and started to jump in a small circle. She couldn't help but giggle. "What... _are_ you doing?"

"Trying to get some circulation to my feet, obviously." He made a few more circles, when Sarah noticed a change in his expression. He went pale. His eyes widened. "Should've untied it faster."

"Well _excuse_ me, your _Majesty_ , but it was a bit…" _What is he staring at?_ Realization hit her like a brick to the face. Slowly, she looked over her shoulder. The beast was poised a few walls away, on the top. It was staring at them, it's glowing red eyes flickering between her and Jareth. She grabbed Toby and held him tighter. She had to protect him.

"Alright, Goblin King...now what?...Jareth?...Jareth?"

No one was there.

 _Oh, how nice! I help him out, and he ditches me in the darkness! I hate him. I hate, hate, hate,_ hate him! _But_ _now's the time to run!_

Toby started to whimper again as Sarah ran for her life. _I should've went with Hoggle and Ludo when they said so! I should've left him there! He teleported! He still had magic! Why was I so stupid to believe his little sob story?! 'Oh, boo hoo, I'm powerless and stuck upside down. Help me, Sarah, I'm too much of a moron to fight a monster.' Give me a break! I can't believe I fell for_ "Ahh!"

She fell on her back, hard. Something had knocked her down, and now it was lying on top of her _and_ Toby. She pictured the Gargoyle''s bloodshot eyes. But when she opened her own, the eyes in front of her weren't the Gargoyle's.

One was blue. One was brown.

"Why can't you stay out of my bloody way?!" Jareth shouted, quickly getting back up.

"You fell on Toby, you jerk! Now he's crying!" She got to her feet, and ran after him.

"Well, shut him up before the Gargoyle hears! And don't you blame this on me, you daft cow! I can't see a foot in front of me! That's the thing about running in the dark!"

"Did you just call me a _cow?!"_

"Stop yelling at me! That beast can probably hear us!"

"You yelled at me first. Oh, Toby, _please_ stop crying. I know there's a monster, I know it's dark out, and I know the stupid Goblin King crushed you, but you really need to be quiet."

"I can hear you!"

 _So much for not yelling. Now how do I make you stop crying? Oh, this is gonna be humiliating._ "Meow. Meow, meow, meow! Meeeeeooooww." Toby started to giggle, just like she wanted.

Jareth looked over his shoulder. "Are you running for your life while making _cat sounds?"_

"It makes him laugh!"

"Think it'll work on the _Gargoyle right behind you?!"_

Sarah looked over her shoulder. He wasn't lying! It was gaining on her! "Run faster!"

The sky was beginning to turn into a lighter color. Jareth started to make quick turns in the Labyrinth. _Where is he going?!_ Sarah wondered. _Does he have some kind of plan? Or is he just trying to get away? And why doesn't he turn into his owl form, or teleport? Is he actually powerless?!_ Sarah wasn't sure of anything anymore. She thought this would be like last time.

She was wrong.

Sarah lost track of Jareth, he kept ducking down corners. _Good riddance. Hope that Gargoyle bites him in his royal rump. Too bad it's a little busy_ chasing me!

The sun was just beginning to rise, but it's rays hadn't yet covered the entire Labyrinth. Sarah was still running the maze half blind. The monster was still running after her! Yet, somehow, Toby had fallen asleep. Apparently the bouncing motion from her running relaxed him.

Sarah on the other hand, was anything but.

 _I'm gonna die. I'm gonna get killed, and Toby's gonna be brought up by a bunch of rock creatures! Why did I have to get myself into this situation? I just_ had _to help the Goblin King, didn't I? And look where it got me! I'm lost, have no clue where my friends are, and there's a monster chasing me!_ "Hoggle!? Ludo?! Where are you?!"

"Sarah?" Hoggle shouted. "Sarah, we're over here!"

"Over _where?!"_ She heard his voice, but had no clue where it was coming from.

"Head to the fountain!"

 _Fountain, what fountain? I don't see a fountain! Wait, there! I see it!_ She raced towards the fountain in the open area. Sunlight had consumed half of it. She could see Hoggle and Ludo right across from her, running towards her. "Sarah!" Hoggle shouted. " _Behind you!"_

She looked over her shoulder to see the Gargoyle lunging at her! Her life flashed before her eyes. The monster's eyes bore into her. Arms wrapped around her. She suddenly felt like a football when it's been caught by a quarterback! She rolled forwards, gripping Toby, being pulled by the force that had grabbed her.

Sarah was lying on her back, on top of someone. She opened her eyes quickly. The monster was right in front of her! " _Aaaahhhhhhh!"_

"Sarah."

" _Aaaahhhhhhh!"_

"Sarah."

" _Aaaahhhhhhh!"_

" _Sarah!"_

She stopped screaming. The monster hadn't moved an inch. It was...lifeless.

"It's turned to stone."

Hoggle ran up to her side, panting, Ludo right behind him. "Sarah...Sarah, are you alright? We thought you were right behind us, and when we realized you weren't, we couldn't find you anywhere."

"Ludo worried."

"Yeah, well, Jareth sore, so for the second time today, get off me."

 _...Jareth? He was the one who grabbed me?_

Hoggle eyed the Goblin King. "Did you...did you just save her?"

"Oh, don't get all mushy on me, Hoghead."

"Hoggle." Sarah corrected, quietly.

"Whatever. Just get the heck off of me. You need to lose some weight, seriously."

Hoggle growled at him. Sarah squirmed awkwardly onto the ground, between Jareth and the frozen Gargoyle. She got to her feet, examined Toby, then took a good look as what had just happened. The Gargoyle was a lighter gray, a frightening face stuck on it. It had one foot on the ground, and it's claws were bared along with its teeth. It's wings were spread out, and it's eyes had lost their eerie glow. "What...what happened?"

"Sunlight." Jareth said plainly, brushing himself off. "Direct sunlight turns them to solid stone."

"How did you know that?"

"I know a thing or two about voodoo. And don't let this," He gestured to the Gargoyle. "go to your head. I didn't do it for _you_. You have Jareth Junior strapped to your torso, that's the only reason." Jareth raised his left foot, placed it on the creature's head, and broke it off. Sarah covered Toby's eyes, hoping that wouldn't give him nightmares. The Goblin King mumbled under his breath. "That and I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing she killed the girl who beat the Labyrinth."

"Her?" Sarah repeated. He wasn't a quiet mumbler. She watched as Jareth cursed under his breath, his face twisting with regret.

"Hold on a second," Hoggle started. "...voodoo... _she..._ you don't mean...no you can't mean...you _banished_ her, a long time ago."

"Who?" Sarah asked.

"She came back." Jareth admitted. "Stronger than ever. While she was in exile, she learned how to make some new tarot cards, along with _these_ accursed things."

 _Banishment? Tarot cards? What are they_ talking _about?_ "Hoggle, what's going on? Who's 'she'?"

But no one heard her. "So she came back, and you couldn't stop her?!" Hoggle asked, fearfully. "She got _that_ powerful?!"

"She used her cards to steal my power!" Jareth shouted.

 _So he_ is _powerless._ Sarah thought, examining Jareth. Her eyes widened when she saw his bulging pocket. "Ludo! Grab him!"

Ludo wrapped his gigantic furry arms around around the Goblin King, lifting him off the ground a bit. Jareth was tall, but Ludo still had him beat. "What in the world are you doing?!" Jareth protested. "Put me down this instant!"

"So you're _powerless_ , hm?" Sarah smirked, glad she'd caught onto his trick. "Then what's _this?!"_ She reached into Jareth's front pocket and pulled out a small, sparkling crystal ball.

"Be _careful_ with that!"

"If you have no power, then how did you make this?"

"Sarah, you little brat! You _still_ take what you know for granted, even when in reality, you know _nothing!"_

"Answer me, then I'll know something!"

"Give me that crystal right this second, or I swear, I'll-"

"You'll what?" Sarah grinned. "If you really are powerless, then you can't do anything to me. Right?"

He opened his mouth to shout at her, but closed it quickly. They locked eyes, once again engaged in a battle of whose will was stronger. The first to look away from the other was the weaker. They probably could've stared at each other for a good few minutes, when Hoggle interrupted.

"Uh...Sarah...don't take this the wrong way. I don't trust or like him any more than you do. But the more that I think about it…"

Sarah predicted the rest of his sentence: _The more I think we should throw Jareth in the Bog of Stench for all eternity, and celebrate with cupcakes!_

"...The more I think he's bein'' honest fer once in his life."

 _Exactly._ Sarah thought, not really listening to Hoggle. _He's being totally honest, so we should chuck him in the Bog of..._

"What?" asked Jareth and Sarah, both turning to look at the troll in unison.

"Hoggle, what are you talking about? I have physical proof in my hands!"

"Sarah, something big is going on here, and we need to quit jumping to conclusions in order to figure out what, so just hear me out." Sarah lowered her defenses and let him continue. "Look, Jareth's a lying, cheating, selfish rat." He gestured to the Gargoyle's head, whose eyes were no longer flowing at all. "But he can't do this. He's never been able to make these creatures."

"But he said he was powerless, yet here I am, holding one of his crystals."

Jareth cleared his throat, and they both turned to him. "If you'd shut up for a minute, I can explain why your theory isn't true."

 _Oh, this ought to be good._ Sarah seethed.

"I made the crystal before my powers were taken. That why it's the only one I have. Now that she's drained me of my magic, I can't make any more of them. I keep it on me because it's the only way I can see what's going on my castle."

"A likely story." Sarah began. "But if that's the case, then why didn't you use that crystal when you were attacked? Why didn't you trap whoever this person is in an illusion?" For a split second, the image of a masquerade ball flickered in Sarah's mind.

"As I said, the reason I made it was for _seeing_. That's all it can do."

"So let me get this straight:", Sarah said, angrily. "You were attacked, and kicked out of your own castle by some person you banished way back when who has now come back even stronger, and stolen your powers. You legitimately got stuck in that rope trap, and you _didn't_ make these Gargoyle whatevers because, once again, you claim to be powerless. And the only reason you have _this_ crystal ball is because you made it before you were attacked. Is that right?"

" _Yes._ Now tell your furry companion to put me back on the ground."

She rolled her eyes. _If what he's saying is true, which I highly doubt, than whoever is sitting up in Jareth's palace is definitely someone to worry about. But why should I believe him?_

"Sarah," Hoggle said. "Look, I know who he's talkin' about. Jareth isn't capable of making these rock creatures. But if he's telling the truth, and this person really has come back stronger than when he forced her to leave, than she _is._ I don' like sticking up for this _rat..._ but it's all addin' up if you think about it."

 _The key words,_ Sarah thought, _are 'if he's telling the truth'. And before we do anything else, that's something we have to know for sure. Right. Now._

She looked back at the Goblin King, and told him straight out, "Give me one good reason why I should believe a word out of your mouth."

Again, the two locked eyes.

"Sarah," he started. "This is very important. Think. _Hard."_

She waited for her reason, staring into his eyes, when suddenly, she saw something she hadn't seen before. Could it have been...desperation? She kept watching, looking for another sign of it, when he gave her what she wanted.

"...Have I ever lied before?"


	4. Chapter 4

Of course he has. Sarah thought. What a stupid question! This is what's supposed to make me believe him? He lied last time when...when...uhh...oh my God...he hasn't?...he's never...really?!

Sarah had been staring at Jareth the entire time, as she thought back to every encounter she had with him. Nothing came to her mind. Not a single lie.

Jareth smirked, as if he was reading her mind. "Why would I start now?"

Sarah racked her brain, trying to come up with something. It has to be Jareth. she told herself. He has to be up to something this time. She wanted it to be him, someone she had dealt with before, had beaten. Not someone new. If there was someone else causing trouble, that meant she was back at square one. It meant she was as clueless as when she'd first entered the Labyrinth four months ago.

Alright...Sarah faced the facts. So it's not him. This isn't a rematch. It's a whole new game. And I'm clueless on how to play...but I'm looking at someone who may be able to give me a few hints.

"Fine." she sighed. "I believe you."

"Finally."

"But," she continued. "I want some answers."

He snickered. "I don't have to tell you anything. Why would I?"

"Because you need our help."

"Ha! That's a laughable concept."

"I don't see why. You said it yourself, you're powerless, and whoever this person is has gotten stronger than you. Therefore, you can't take care of this on your own."

"She's got you there" Hoggle agreed.

"Are you seriously suggesting," Jareth began with a touch of venom. "that we work together? Team up?!"

Sarah smirked. "Don't let this go to your head. I'm not doing it for you. I came here because my friends needed me, and until they don't, I haven't done my job. This person sounds dangerous, even more so than you, your Majesty. I'm just putting it out there that it would make things easier on all of us if we were on the same side."

"Six hands are better than two." Hoggle added.

"That's ten hands, Hogbrain. There's five of us. Though I doubt the baby is going to be much help."

"So you're in?" Sarah asked, half of her hoping he said "yes", a quarter of her hoping for "no", and the other quarter hating the half that wanted "yes".

"I don't have much of a choice, now do I?"

"Nuh uh." Ludo told him, shaking his head.

But Sarah wasn't done. "And you won't run out on us? No matter what?"

"No, I won't 'run out on you', as you put it."

"Swear."

"Damn you."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it!"

"Alright, alright...I swear I will not abandon you."

"Or?"

"Or may I rot in the Bog of Stench with my eyes gouged out and stuffed into my ears for the rest of my days. That good enough for you?"

Sarah was trying her best to keep that image out of her mind. "Now cross your heart."

"I can't."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. Just because your heart's so small you need a microscope to see it, and is a shriveled as a rasin doesn't mean it's not there."

"Hilarious. I can't move my arms, your bodyguard is holding me too tightly."

Ludo moved a little. Sarah watched as Jareth took his left hand and made an X over his chest. She made sure to watch his other hand as well, making sure that he didn't try to cross his fingers behind his back. He didn't attempt it, and for a moment Sarah was a bit surprised. Then she thought better. He's smarter than childish little promises. I'll have to keep a very close eye on him. Just because I believe his story doesn't mean I trust him. "You can put him down now, Ludo."

Ludo looked down at his prisoner, and dropped him. "Ludo..." Sarah smiled. She looked at Jareth and offered him a hand up. I hate him to the core, but we're fighting for the same thing. He wants his castle back, and I want to make sure whoever is making these Gargoyles is gone. The least I can do is try to be civil.

Jareth ignored her gesture and got up on his own. "Don't think this changes a thing. I still hate you, and when this is all over, I want you to stay out of kingdom."

"The feeling is mutual. And for the record, stop calling Toby Jareth."

"You never told me his name."

"Well, now a I have, so kindly use it."

"Has he been sleeping through this entire thing? Even the Gargoyle attack?" Hoggle asked.

"He's sort of been on and off. He's awake now, sort of, but he's a heavy sleeper when he wants to be." Sarah turned her attention back to the Goblin King, who was once again brushing himself off. "So, are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"I already did. My castle has been invaded, I've lost my power, and Gargoyles are running amuck through the kingdom. And you brought up the goblins. Which reminds me, I haven't looked to see what happened to them." His hand went to his pocket, and when he remembered it was empty, he held it out to Sarah. Reluctantly, she gave him back his crystal ball. He lifted it up eye level and commanded, "Show me the goblins."

The crystal began to swirl inside, and the image changed from Jareth's reflection to a few chained up goblins. They were as disgusting and small as Sarah remembered. "Figured she'd put them in the dungeons." The Goblin King said, pocketing the magical item.

"Who is she?" Sarah asked, having had enough of this little guessing game. "If you want my help, you have to tell me what I'm up against."

"Very well." he retorted, sourly. "She is a very powerful magical woman named Rivina. She possesses the power of voodoo, which means tarot cards she can play at will, and creatures she can summon when she wants. I banished her decades ago for trying to steal my throne. On several occasions.

"Now she's returned, more powerful than ever, with cards she'd never dealt before, and creatures no one knew existed. So, that's all there is to tell, therefore, I suggest we start moving."

"Nice try." Hoggle snapped. "I knew you weren't 't gonna tell her everything."

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked. She had been surprised Jareth had said as much as he did.

"Rivina doesn't only have the power of voodoo. She's also the Fairy Princess."

"Correction. She was the Fairy Princess." Jareth growled.

"Well, the little buggers don't seem to mind her absence. Remember how you noticed there weren't any fairies at the entrance?" Sarah nodded. "They've gone back to serving her."

"It's not like they're dangerous." she said. "All they do is bite. They don't even draw blood."

"Only because the one you saw didn't bite you that hard." Hoggle explained. "One fairy won't do much harm. But a swarm of 'em, now that could get nasty."

"Alright...so she has voodo, Gargoyles, and she can control the fairies?"

"Right."

"That doesn't sound so bad." Sarah mumbled to herself, hoping to give herself some confidence. Unfortunately, someone heard.

"Oh, it doesn't?" Jareth snapped, half laughing, half screaming. "That's only because you don't know who you're up against!" He walked over to her slowly. "Rivina is psychotic!"

"How psychotic are we talking?"

"Well," Hoggle interjected. "Take Jareth's level of crazy..."

"Alright."

"...Now multiply that by the biggest number you can think of."

That's a lot of crazy. Sarah realized.

"Zip it, Hogwart!" Jareth shouted. Sarah was about to defend her friend, and correct his name again, but saw it would be a giant mistake when Jareth looked at her again. His eyes were on fire, and his face was turning red. He'd gone from zero to one hundred in a matter of seconds. Sarah had never seen him this angry, and she was his enemy! She began to wonder what about Rivina made him so furious. He'd said she'd tried to take his throne, but she couldn't help but feel like there was more to it than that. "You don't know Rivina." Jareth growled. "I do. And if you're going to go into this thinking she's going to be easy to deal with, than I assure you, there is now way you can win!" He began to pace, and count on his fingers as he rattled off a list. Sarah was starting to get a bit concerned. And she didn't even like the guy! "She's deceitful, she's a liar, she's a cheat, she doesn't care about anyone but herself, she's greedy, she's vain, she's spoiled, she's heartless, and she never listens to me!"

Sarah looked at him, curiously. "What do you mean never listens to you? Isn't she like, the enemy of the kingdom? Why would she?"

Jareth stopped pacing, and whacked himself in the head. "Me and my big mouth..."

"Looks like you said a bit too much." Hoggle grinned.

"What?" Sarah asked. "I don't get it. Who is she? A foreign enemy? A power hungry tyrant? What?"

The Goblin King looked up at the sky, placed his hands on his hips, and let out an exhausted sigh. "Rivina's not an enemy of the kingdom." he explained, not looking at Sarah. "...She's my baby sister."


	5. Chapter 5

"Sarah? Sarah, are you okay? Oh, nice one, your _Majesty._ You broke Sarah."

"Well, she wanted to know. If it scars her for life, that's not my fault!"

 _Sister? Jareth has a_ sister?! Sarah was stunned. She'd never really thought about where the people in the Labyrinth came from, or their families. She'd always just kind of assumed that they had just sort of... _appeared._ Now she was curious. _Where are Hoggle's parents? Where did Ludo come from? How long is Jareth's royal bloodline? And what happened between him and his sister?!_

"Sarah," Jareth started sternly. "We need to get moving. The castle is over a few days from here, and-"

Sarah snapped out of her thoughts. "A few _days?!_ Last time it took me less than one!"

"Well in case you haven't noticed, this isn't like the last time. We're deeper into the Labyrinth, basically the farthest point from the castle, facing new obstacles, and my crazy sister. So, unless you feel the need to grill me on my person life further, we should start moving."

"But Karen and my dad will be worried when they see Toby and I aren't there!"

Jareth spun on his heels. "You call your own mother by her first name?"

Again, forbidden memories came to Sarah's mind. "Karen's not my mom. She's Toby's mom, my stepmother." _He'd better not ask anything else about it._ she thought. _Hes got sister issues, I have mommy issues. End of story. Close the book, and set it on fire._

Jareth looked her over for a minute, as if thinking about what she'd said, before repeating, "We should start moving. Just because she can't rely on her Gargoyles during the day doesn't mean she doesn't have more tricks up her sleeves."

"Don't worry, Sarah." Hoggle soothed. "Time works differently here, remember.

Sarah sighed with relief. _Alright_ , _so_ _maybe_ _I can_ _still_ _make_ _it_ _home_ _before_ _them_. _As_ _long_ _as_ _they_ _get stuck in traffic, or something. And at least the Goblin King knows when to stop talking._ And just like that, the two enemies had established limits. No talking about Rivina and Jareth's personal life unless totally necessary, and no bringing up Sarah's birth mother.

They started to walk along the paths again, Jareth in the lead, Sarah on his heels with an excited Toby strapped to her front, and Hoggle and Ludo close behind. For a while, all was silent, apart from a few baby sounds. But Sarah was still in the dark about this entire adventure. She felt clueless. She wanted to know what to expect from this new enemy. And there was only one way to learn. She quickened her pace a bit in order to keep up with Jareth's long legs, and cleared her throat. "So, you said she has the power of voodoo. That's kind of vague. What exactly can voodoo... _do?_ Other than make rock monsters."

"First of all, the correct term is Gargoyles. If they were rock monsters, sunlight wouldn't affect them. And as for Rivina's powers, last time I saw her, she could manipulate time like I can, though it can only speed things up, she can make disguises, uses the fairies as spies...oh, yes. There is the matter of her dolls."

"Dolls?"

"Voodoo dolls, of course. They come to life, and she uses them to attack. Sort of like a very small, plush army."

Sarah found that a bit concerning. "Well, now that she's stronger, what can she do?"

"Besides make Gargoyles and steal magic powers, I don't know. She barged into the castle, stole my magic, put it in one of her cards, then threw me into my own Labyrinth. Didn't seem like she was really in the mood for talking."

"What does she want your throne for anyway?"

"Probably the same reasons anyone would want it: Power, revenge, control, to tick me off…"

Sarah was going to leave it at that, thinking she'd gotten enough information, and figuring she probably shouldn't push the Goblin King, when she thought of one last thing. "What about shapeshifting? Can't she turn into an animal, like you can turn into an owl?"

The king was quiet for a moment, before replying quietly, "No, only the men in the family can turn into birds." Another minute of quiet, before he turned to her and snapped, "Do I pry into your personal life? No, I don't, so stay out of mine." He walked a bit faster to get away from Sarah before she could ask what she said. Hoggle walked over to her.

"What's his problem?" she asked him.

"Well, I don't know the whole story, since I try to avoid Jareth when I can, and even if I did, I don't think it's my place to tell. But let's just say that I think having Rivina back in town stirs up some things in his mind that he hasn't had to think about in a few thousand years."

This piqued her curiosity. Again, she wondered just what had happened between the two of them. But that question was off limits. But it didn't mean she didn't want to know. "So what does she look like?" Sarah asked.

"Sort of like the female version of Jareth, I guess." Sarah tried to unsee that. "But she's a little shorter, unless she's wearing heels, and her hair is curled."

The Goblin King turned and walked backwards. Apparently he had overheard. "That's the second time you've used me to talk about her. Since when did I become your basis of comparison?"

"Well," Sarah smirked. "You were wondering what mine was last time. Aren't you glad I picked you?"

He gave her an eye roll, and turned his back to them again. _This is going to be a_ long _trip._ Sarah thought.

She did manage to pass some time by catching up with Hoggle and Ludo, though. She told them about Karen, and her father, and how she was trying to get Toby to start talking. "He still can't say anything, though. Not even easy stuff that babies pick up on, like 'mama' or….I don't know, 'milk', maybe."

"You don't think he's got one of those learning disabilities, do you?" Hoggle asked.

Sarah had never considered that before. _What if he_ does _have a disability, or he's just slow? What if this is only the start of things Toby can't do? What if he can't read, or run, or feed himself?!_

The Goblin King's voice snapped her out of her panic. "Just because he hasn't started speaking doesn't automatically mean there's some kind of chemical imbalance." he said over his shoulder. "He could just be taking his time. Can he do other things babies his age do?"

"Well, yeah, I guess. I mean, he's a really fast crawler, and he's walking a little more every so often."

"Well, there you go, then." he shrugged.

 _He may be an owl, but he's got ears like a hawk. Since when is he a baby expert?_ Sarah wondered. _Then again, he is a big brother…_ _huh. Having Jareth as an older brother._ That _had to be fun for Rivina. Having him always boss her around, probably barge into her room at the worst times._ For a moment, she felt a bit bad for the woman, having to grow up with Jareth all her life. She'd only dealt with him once, and that'd been quite enough for Sarah. Then a thought bubbled into her mind, and since it looked like Jareth had calmed down a bit, she felt it was safe to ask. "Are you and Rivina immortal?"

"...In a manner of speaking."

 _What the heck is that supposed to mean?_ Sarah wondered. To her it seemed like a 'yes' or a 'no' question. How are you kind of immortal?

Luckily for her, Jareth went on. "Age doesn't affect the people of the Labyrinth the way it does the ones in your world. We cannot die of old age. But that doesn't mean we can't die at all. Everything else still affects us the same way. We can still die from monsters, starvation, blood loss, or...sickness." And again, he was quiet.

"So, wait, how old _are_ you?"

"How old do I look?"

She chose her words carefully. "I don't know...late 30s, maybe?" She noticed that Hoggle was trying his best not to laugh. _Crap, too high._

"Sarah, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to suck up to me." Jareth smirked.

"Too low," Hoggle murmured. "Way too low."

"Really?" Sarah asked, shocked. "Well, you can't be more than forty five or so. I can't be _that_ far off."

"Oh, but you are." The King said. "Here, I'll give you a hint that you so desperately need." Sarah knew he was enjoying this, the fact that she didn't know something. "I'm older than Haggle."

She stopped dead in her tracks. _What?! But how can that_ be? _Hoggle has white hair, Jareth's is blonde! Hoggle's face is wrinkled, Jareth's isn't! How is the Goblin King the older one?!_ "Well...Hoggle is probably only in his 50s or so, so even then, you're not that old."

"Oh, Sarah, you really don't know much about the Labyrinth." Hoggle smiled. "I'm over one hundred."

"What?!"

"I ain't telling you the exact number, but yeah, over a couple centuries. I was around when Mr. Already-Hit-Five-Hundred was a teenager."

For a second, she tried to picture the Goblin King at that age, _her_ age. She couldn't see him any other way than he was when she looked at him. Then Hoggle's words finally hit her. " _You're five hundred?!"_

"Few years older, actually" Hoggle added. "It's not that old, really. I'm nearing it myself."

"Five hundred…" Sarah repeated.

"You say it like that's old." Jareth mussed. "In this world, being a few hundred years old is like being under forty where you come from."

"How old do people here usually live?" She asked, still in shock. Jareth looked darn good for his age!

"Well if I'm doing my math right, the Wise Man that carries that bird on his head is over one million, if that answers your question." Jareth explained.

Sarah was in awe. Age _really_ didn't affect them like it did the people in her world. They could probably live to a billion if they really tried. Thinking about that made Sarah happy. It meant that she would have her friends around for a very long time, they might even become her children's friends!

"Oh, what in the world is that _smell?!"_ Hoggle said suddenly, snapping Sarah out of her thoughts. "We ain't even above the Bog of Stench!"

"Smell bad." Ludo complained, covering his nose.

A horrible stench filled Sarah's nose. She knew it too well. "Oh, Toby, not _now._ Aw, thank _God_ I brought diapers!"

"What in the world do you _feed_ him?" Jareth asked in an odd voice. He was also holding his nose.

She got down, and started to get Toby out of the carrier. "Oh, it's not like you've never smelled a dirty diaper before, your _Highness._ How many years apart are you and your sister?"

"Five, now quit badgering me, and change the baby!"

Sarah grabbed the backpack and Toby and ran around the corner to change him. _I really hope I brought the baby powder._


	6. Chapter 6

"Keep up." the Goblin King snapped.

"I'm _trying_." Sarah defended. "We've been walking all day. My feet are tired."

"You didn't seem to have this issue last time."

"I thought this wasn't like last time." she scoffed. Jareth glared at her menacingly, but said nothing more.

Toby wiggled on Sarah's shoulder. The carrier had been tearing at her for the past hour or so, so she had resorted to just carrying him manually. "I know, I know," she whispered. "Just go back to sleep."

"Little tyke sure sleeps a lot." Hoggle observed.

"He didn't get that much sleep last night thanks to the Gargoyle attack, so now he's kind of catching up. Besides, he's easier to handle when he's tired."

"Less talking, more walking." Jareth snarled. "The sun will begin to set soon, and the second that happens, the Gargoyles will spring back into action."

Sarah stuck her tongue out him once he turned around, then was struck with an idea. "The oubliettes."

"Wuh?" Ludo asked.

"We can use the oubliettes to hide in overnight." she explained.

"Bad idea." The King told her, walking in reverse once again to face her.

 _Why does it seem that whenever_ I _have an idea, it's bad?_ Sarah seethed.

Jareth continued, only adding to her anger. "Just because there is someone in an oubliette doesn't mean it's closed off. It's not secure enough. If a Gargoyle fell into the trap along with us," he paused to draw finger over his throat. "Get the picture?"

Sarah's anger was about to boil over. She switched Toby to her other shoulder, and quickened her pace a bit. "What are the chances of _that_ happening?"

"Slim, but there is still a chance. One I'm not too keen on taking."

"There are probably _dozens_ of oubliettes in this place. The odds of a Gargoyle finding the _exact_ one were sleeping in-"

"Are _slim_ as I said, but there are several Gargoyles, so there is still a possibility of it happening."

She knew she was only angering her enemy, but it didn't matter. _After all, I'm right._ "There's a possibility of a _two headed alpaca falling from the sky,_ but that doesn't mean it's gonna happen!"

"Well, of course not." Hoggle chimed. "Two headed alpacas aren't native to the Underground."

"I'm looking at it from a safety point of view." Jareth told her in a stern tone. "If we use the oubliettes, and something gets in there, there's only one very small exit. By the time Higgle got the right door open, we'd probably be dead! We'd fair better just sleeping out in the open, where if something _did_ happen, we'd have room to run, and the ability to throw the beast off our trail."

"And we'd be in the dark! Last time I checked, running in the dark didn't work to well last time! We'd do better hidden that out in the open!""

"The oubliettes are no clearer than the dark of night! Camping out in the maze gives us more than enough space to get away!"

"Unless a whole group of Gargoyles comes at us!"

"They don't _travel_ in groups! They're solitary creatures! In fact, if they meet eyes for more than about _ten seconds_ , they try to kill each other!"

Sarah was now looking up at the Goblin King, and he down at her. He would look down even if he was Hoggle's height, and she Ludo's. She opened her mouth to shout at him, to defend the fact that her idea was better...but she had no idea what to say.

"What's the matter?" Jareth grumbled, his hands on his hips. "Didn't know that? What a pity. Yet, here you stand, thinking you know everything there is to know. Oh, Sarah, even after your last little adventure, you still take things for granted. Even your own knowledge, or in this case, lack of. You learn two plus two, and you think you're a mathematician. You memorize the name of one star, and suddenly the entire universe revolves around your head. You entered this Labyrinth, which changes frequently, but _once_ before, yet you believe you that months later, you can just _waltz_ back here, solve it again, then _march_ into my castle, and take on someone you barely know _anything_ about!"

"Alright, alright," Hoggle interjected, closing the distance between the two. "Let's not lose our heads, that's the Fireys job. Why don't we just take a step back, and not try to murder each other, huh?"

Sarah gritted her teeth, and looked at the Goblin King with full blown disgust. "I hate you." she said in an angry whisper.

"Because you know I am right."

Hoggle cleared his throat. "Look, it's obvious you two have...strong feelings for each other...but standing here arguing isn't going to get us any closer to Rivina. We can hash out what we do when it's dark later. There's still a few hours until sunset."

"Fine by me." Sarah said.

"No one cares what you think." Jareth told her, turning around, coldly.

"Well...I care."

"Thanks, Hoggle. At least you and Ludo are on my side."

"Well the thing you gotta understand is that in this kinda situation, you can't really take sides. Rivina is bad news. So whether we like it or not, we're going to have to put up with each other until she's taken care off. Meaning, we can't debate everything we do just because we hate a certain person's guts. We have to figure out what's for the best. No matter who came up with the idea, or how much we don't trust them."

 _I guess that makes sense. I mean, we're all doing this for the same reason, really: To get rid of this Rivina woman._

They walked along a while longer, as Sarah fed Toby some mushy peas, when she heard Jareth curse. She looked up to see yet another dead end. The Goblin King turned around, and Sarah mumbled to him, "That's the fifth time you lead us to a dead end. How do you not know the way to your own castle?"

"Excellent question." he mocked, glaring at her. "First of all, I obviously don't come out here often, considering it's a gigantic death trap, and second, it changes."

Sarah looked past Jareth to the sudden scenery behind him. "You mean like it just did right now?"

The King spun to face the enormous wall that was now blocking the path they'd just come from. _"What?_ Oh, that's just great! There's a wall behind me, and now there's a wall in front of me! We're in a stinkin' _box!"_

Sarah's curiosity piqued. She could've sworn she'd done this before. She looked over her shoulder, and saw she was right. The wall Jareth had just lead them to had vanished just as the new one had appeared. In its place were two doors, guarded by four dog-like creatures. They had light brown fur, apart from their white mustaches, and most of their bodies were covered with large, golden shields. The only difference between the four was that two wore red, and two blue.

"Ummm...Goblin King.." Sarah began, glad she really knew something about this world.

He kicked the wall in front of him, repeatedly, spitting out a word in between each. "I-really-hate-this-Labyrinth-some-times!"

"Oh, would you look at what we got here." said the Red Guard sticking out of the top of the shield. "A troll, a baby, a wild beast, the girl that figured out the riddle, and the former King!"

" _Current_ king!" Jareth corrected, angrily, facing the four. Suddenly, his face contorted from unbridled rage to joyous arrogance. "You're right."

Hoggle tugged on Sarah's pants, and leaned over. "I think he may've snapped."

"Sarah," The King continued, with concerning happiness. "Now's your chance. You solved their riddle before, let's see you do it again."

 _That's why he's so excited all of the sudden. He knows if I do this wrong, it'll prove his point that I don't know what I'm doing. But I_ do! _And when I pick the right door, I'm gonna take this riddle and stick it up his pompous_ butt!

"Well?" Jareth smirked, gesturing to the guards. "Let's see it. We're all waiting to see the great champion of the Labyrinth in action."

"Fine. But don't cry when I do it right."

"Oh, I'll try my hardest as long as you do."

Sarah straightened, and walked over to the Four Guards. "Mind reminding me of the rules?"

The blue one on top spoke. "You can only ask one of us a question. One of us always tells the truth, and one of us always lies."

"Right. Alright, I can do this."

"One door leads straight to the castle." The bottom red told her.

"And the other," began the red on top. "leads to-"

"Bum bum _bummmm_." Jareth sang.

"Hey, that's my line." said the top blue. "Ah, whatever. The other door leads to certain death, so if you get it wrong all, you, your brother, and your friends are all doomed, blah, blah, blah, the moment's gone, so just ask the stupid question already."

Sarah saw Jareth out of the corner of her eye as he leaned down to her height. "Hmmm, certain death. Well, choose wisely, Sarah, and no pressure." Her muscles tightened as he patted her head as if she were a small child, and not a fifteen year old.

"Riddle's going right up your conceited butt." she mumbled to herself when she thought he was out of earshot.

"What was that about my butt?"

"Trying to concentrate here."

He grinned. "Is that what you're calling this? Concentrating? Most people call it stalling."

"Don't let him get in your head, Sarah." Hoggle instructed. "You may not know everything, but you've done this part. You can do this."

 _Hoggle's right, I've solved this before. I just have to ask the guy in blue on the bottom….wait was he the one I asked last time? It might've been one of the red guys. But was it top red or bottom red? Does it matter which one I ask? No, it shouldn't, I just pick one, and ask him about the opposite guy._

 _Right?_

 _Yeah, I ask if one of the others would say his door was the right door. That way...that way...wait, now I'm confusing myself._

"Certainly taking your time." Jareth said. "Not to cloud your thoughts, but it _is_ getting darker, and we still haven't figured out what to do when that happens, so if you could pick this up, it'd make things to come much easier."

"Oh, will you _clam up?!"_ Hoggle shouted. "I mean, _really,_ breaking down her confidence isn't going to get us to the castle any faster!"

"Excuse me, but since when could you talk to me in that sort for manner?!"

"Since your baby sister got her curvy little hips in the throne, that's when!"

"Firstly, her hips are not curvy, and secondly, it doesn't matter _who's_ in the throne, _I_ was first born, therefore I am the rightful ruler! And I demand respect from my subjects!"

"Well, you're doing a shoddy job of getting it! If you haven't noticed, _nobody_ in this entire kingdom respects you! We only did what you said because we were afraid of you! But news flash, you _rat_ : You have no magic! Without that, you're just a freakishly tall jerk with a foreign accent that likes to yell a lot. Why do I have to listen to you?"

"I swear, Hogsnot, when I regain my throne, and my powers, I'm banishing you to the Bog of Stench for _eternity!"_

"That's _if_ you get your throne and powers back."

"Will you both _please_ be quiet?!" Sarah asked. "I can't think with all your shouting."

"Don't worry, Sarah." Hoggle encouraged. "You can do this."

"Uh huh." Ludo nodded. Jareth on the other hand, snorted, looking like he'd just smelled something rotten.

 _Alright, Sarah, you got this. Last time you asked….the bottom red one...if he was the liar. No, no, it was something with opposites! Oh my God, what's wrong with me?!_

"Sawah?" Ludo asked, cocking his head.

 _I...I don't remember what to do… I don't know the answer. And if I guess, everyone here could die!_

"Sarah, are you okay?" Hoggle asked.

 _What did I do the last time I did this? I had it right last time. Wait..._ did I?!

"Sarah, you're _shaking!"_

 _Last time I tried it, and ended up in an oubliette! Was that supposed to be certain death? If it was, then I didn't get it right at all! If Hoggle hadn't been there to get me out, then I would've died! I didn't do it right the first time!_

"My God, she's on the brink of tears. I thought we agreed we wouldn't do that." Jareth laughed.

 _"_ _Shut up!"_ Hoggle ordered. _"Don't you see what you did to her?! Oh, of course you do, that's why you look so pleased with yourself! Damn you, Jareth!"_

Sarah fell to her knees, shaking. She was fighting back tears that stung her eyes. Hoggle got down next to her. "Sarah, Sarah, what's the matter? Ludo, come over here, take the baby. Be gentle with him. C'mon now, talk to me. Don't let this pathetic excuse for a king get to you, that's what he wants. C'mon, Sarah, you can do this."

"No, I can't. I forgot how. I don't know what to do!" Tears traveled down her cheeks. "I'm not sure if I ever did." she whispered.

"Sarah, that's not you talking. It's Jareth. You can't let him get in your head. Remember, he's got no power over you."

She sniffled. "...Yes he does."


	7. Chapter 7

Hoggle looked at her, shocked. "You don't mean that. You know you don't. You're just scared is all. You're in a world you don't totally understand, fighting a new enemy you've never heard of. But it's okay to be scared, Sarah. Take it from the kingdom coward. Being scared is normal, especially in your situation."

She sniffled. "I still can't solve this thing."

"Good thing someone here does." Jareth smirked. Sarah didn't need to look at him to know he was. In fact, she couldn't bear to look at him. She knew he was winning. He had gotten what he wanted.

"Breaking down a young girl just to make a point." Hoggle growled at him. "This is a new low, even for you."

Jareth ignored him and approached the guards. "See, Sarah, it's not as hard as you've made it out to be."

"You mean as you made her believe." The troll corrected.

Again, Jareth blew the comment off. "The rules were you could only ask one of the guards. But they didn't say you were restricted to only one question.

"Last time, you did some complex mind trick in order to find your way. Though effective in some way that I won't say was right or wrong, you got past this obstacle. But you did it in such a mind-boggling way that you can't remember it months later."

"Coulda remembered if he'd kept his trap shut." Hoggle mumbled.

"There is a much simpler way to solve this if you keep your head on." Jareth continued. "Like this: Because I'm able to ask any number of questions, I can simple choose a guards, and easily deduce if he is the liar." He looked at the red guard on top l, who cowered before him. "Do triangles have three points to them?"

"Well...ummm...yes."

Jareth looked at Sarah, who was still trying to compose herself. "Now I know who the honest one is."

 _He's making it look so easy...maybe it_ was _that easy, and I just couldn't see it._

"Then which of these two doors leads to my castle?" The Goblin King asked.

"The other one."

"But that's the one I went through ….I think."

"As you just witnessed, the Labyrinth walls aren't the only things that move. The obstacles inside do as well. This isn't the same path you chose, only the same door." Jareth explained as the two blue guards moved aside.

"C'mon, Sarah," Hoggle said. "On your feet."

She did what he said and cleaned up her face. Ludo came over and handed Toby back to her. "Thanks."

Hoggle looked over, and Sarah followed his gaze. Jareth was already heading down the tunnel. Hoggle seized the opportunity. "Look, you could've done that. You can't let him get to you. That's what he wants. Sarah, I know you feel kind of helpless, and I know you don't know a lot about the working of the Labyrinth. But if we're going to beat Rivina, we've got to believe in _ourselves_ first."

"How? I don't even know her."

"Are you three coming, or are you waiting for the Gargoyles?" Jareth shouted, already halfway down the tunnel.

"I swear, if we didn't need him to take care of his sister…" Hoggle mumbled. "C'mon. We better keep up with him, or he'll just leave. We'll talk more later, Sarah. For now just keep your chin up. Alright?"

She nodded weakly.

"Right, then." And they walked into the dimly lit tunnel.

 _Hoggle's right. You know he's right. So snap out of this funk. Smile! You're with your friends._

 _...And your enemy._

 _But you have to deal with im. He knows Rivina better than anyone else here, he's her brother. We need him on our side. Without him, we don't really know what to do._

I _don't know what to do._

"At the rate we're going, and as long as we avoid anymore distractions, we should reach the castle in about three days." Jareth told them.

"...Alright." Sarah replied, quietly.

Jareth paused and looked over his shoulder with a confused look. Sarah saw it, and knew he was wondering why she wasn't putting up a fight wasn't arguing, or whining. But she didn't feel like doing any of that. _He knows what he's doing._ she told herself. _You don't. Therefore, he's in charge, whether you like it or not._

"Sarah," Hoggle started, walking by her side. "I know you're still thinking about what happened back there. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Honestly it isn't. You're a lot more help than you think you are."

"I haven't done much to show it." Sarah said. "In fact, if you and Ludo didn't need me her for some reason, I'd probably just go home." Then she realized she had no clue how to do that. _Just another thing to add to the list, I suppose._ She went back to her world after defeating Jareth, and guessed that meant she had no way back until Rivina was gone.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You were lots of help last time."

Last time. She was so sick of those words, last time. "This isn't like last time."she explained. "I don't know what to do. I'm as clueless as I was when Jareth had Toby."

"Sawah…" Ludo frowned.

She stopped when she saw Jareth had as well. She followed his gaze, and was horrified at what she saw.

The last bit of sunlight in the tunnel was slowly dying, until there was nothing left. As if on cue, a ferocious roar in the distance filled the small space. "That's it then." Jareth said. "We've got to call it a night and pick this up at sunrise. We can't risk another Gargoyle encounter, and running a maze in the dark is virtually pointless."

"So what are you proposing we do?" Hoggle's tone showed he was still very angry with the King for what he'd done to Sarah.

"The same thing I said we should do: We find a large, open area in the Labyrinth with multiple paths and make camp."

"First, we're not in a large, open area, we're in tunnel." The troll pointed out. "Second, camping out in the open is like inviting the beasts to dinner."

"The oubliette idea makes us sitting ducks."

"So does yours."

"Well what are we supposed to do, then?!"

"Try not to get ourselves _killed."_

"Well _there's_ a thought!"

"'Allo."

Sarah turned around, facing the wall. A small blue worm was perfectly balanced on the stone tunnel. His hair matched his odd colored body, his eyes were large and orange, and his scarf was long and matched his eyes. "Didn't 'scept to see you here again."

Jareth, Hoggle, and Ludo hadn't noticed the new presence. "Camping out gives us space to get away! How many times do I have to say it?!"

"We don't need to get away from them if we _hide!"_ Hoggle shouted. Sarah realized how different he was since the first time she met him. Before, he had feared Jareth, and done whatever he asked. But now, as he'd told him himself, there was no reason to now that he was powerless. Sure he was a big guy that could probably fight if provoked enough. But other than that, he was really just a man.

Sarah tried to to on the two of them out for the moment, and focused on the worm. "Well, I heard what happened here, and figured it was my responsibility to help protect my friends. But I'm not very much help."

"Well even so, it's still very brave of you. You value friendship before yourself. Good on ya, young lady."

"Thank you." she smiled slightly.

"But it's dangerous to travel at night. Fact, I was just heading home myself to make sure the Mrs. wouldn't worry. It's very dangerous bein' this small with all these monsters around, ya know. Say, why don't you all come along? We've plenty of room, and there's no way the Gargoyles can't get inside."

Sarah was flattered by his hospitality, and found the offer a bit funny at the same time. Didn't he see the problem? "Well, that's very kind of you but I'm afraid my friends" Mentally, she added "and Jareth" onto that. She didn't consider him any kind of acquaintance of hers. "wouldn't fit into your little tunnels."

"Oh, no need to worry about that, love. Gotta remember that nothing in the Labyrinth is always what it seems. I'll take you to the nearest tunnel. Once you get close enough to it, you'll see what I mean."

"Look, just because she's your sister doesn't mean we have to do everything you say just because you tell us to!" Hoggle shouted.

"You _do_ have to do everything I say because I'm the bloody _King!"_

 _Well...I don't know how this is gonna work, but it's the best shot we've got._ "Hey, ummm, Hoggle…"

"Once again, you have been _overthrown!_ You! Have! _Nothing!"_

"Jareth, Hoggle, Ludo, uh, if you haven't noticed, there's a worm here."

"I have about five feet on you, and am classically trained in battle , so _what_ does that tell you?!"

"You can stop fighting now. We have a better option."

Sarah saw Ludo, who had been standing there, wondering what to do, glanced at her, then at Jareth and Hoggle. He took a deep breath and roared, accidentally calling forward a few rocks. They two stopped arguing and looked at him. He pointed to Sarah and the worm.

"Well…" the worm smiled. "That worked."

After explaining the plan, the tiny creature lead the group to a small hole in the wall not far from where they were. "I still don't see how this is supposed to work." Jareth said, probably sore that they hadn't used his idea.

"Don't worry, your Majesty." The worm told him. "Just start walking towards it, and you'll shrink right down to the right size. When you start walking out again, you'll pop back to your normal height."

"And just how is this better than usin' an oubliette?" Hoggle asked.

"Well, you see, anyone can fall into an oubliette. But to get into one of my tunnels, you have to say the right word."

"So like a secret password." Sarah added.

"Yeah, 'sright. Now, watch this." The worm looked at the small hole, and said, "Honey, I'm home."

The hole started to glow a bright blue, and the worm inched into it. Once he was gone, they all looked at each other, wondering who was going to go next, and risk walking into the wall like an idiot. Sarah stepped forward with Toby, focusing on the light. With each step she took, the tunnel began to grow. She stepped through the threshold with the others only a step behind.

"See? Nothing to it."

Sarah gasped. The worm was _huge!_ Well, perhaps huge was a stretch. But she could actually look into its eyes.

"Well, that was weird." The Goblin King said. Even though he was much smaller, he was still taller than Sarah, and about the same height as the worm.

"Make yourselves at home." The worm stated. Sarah looked around, and saw that the tunnel was basically a doll house for worm creatures. There was little chairs, little cups, little everything. Then again, at the size she was at the moment, it looked pretty average. "Dear," The worm called. "we have company."

A disembodied voice can from around the corner. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" A purple worm inched over to her husband. Her eyes were pinkish, and she wore a teal scarf. She also had enormous red lips that had a large amount of lipstick on them. "I would've worn more makeup to look presentable."

"Well, that proves it." Jareth mumbled, most likely to himself. "Love is literally blind."

 _How rude._ Sarah thought. _These people are nice enough to let us stay in their home, and keep us safe, and he's commenting on the guy's wife! She doesn't look_ that _bad. And what does_ he _know about love? I don't seem_ him _with a girlfriend, or….well_ anyone _for that matter._ She was tempted to say something, or to at least glare at him, but she couldn't. Not after the doors and guards. He'd humiliated her. He'd crushed every remaining speck of confidence she'd possessed, which was very little at the time. She could barely look in his direction.

The hours ticked by, and in that time, Sarah had fed Toby another jar of baby food, most of which had ended up on her pants, changed him again, and listened to the others as they decided that since the tunnels were all over the Labyrinth, they could use them for the nights to follow. To this, Mr. and Mrs. Worm did not object to, but seemed rather happy.

"We should try to get some sleep." Jareth told them, after the Worms had already left them for the night. He had made himself the unannounced leader of the group, it seemed. "We need to be back on track by sunrise, which is only a few hours away."

No one objected. They were all tired from the long walk and lack of sleep the night before. Sarah laid down with Toby in the crook of her arm and closed her eyes, as the others did the same. She'd just started to _think_ about sleeping, when her ears suddenly ached from the sound of her brother's crying. She sat up quickly and started rocking him as she'd seen Karen do often. "No, no, it's okay. Shh, shh, it's okay. Don't cry."

"What did you do now?" The Goblin King snapped, lying a few feet away from her.

"Just because the baby's cryin' don't mean she did something." Hoggle defended. "Baby's cry, it's what they do."

"Yes, when something is wrong." Jareth said, sitting back up. "She just fed him, so he's not hungry. She just changed him, so I doubt he's wet, therefore, by process of elimination, we can assume she did something."

"He's crying because he wants his mom." Sarah explained, bouncing Toby. "He's okay falling asleep in the daytime by himself, but at night Karen usually has to put him to sleep. He doesn't like the dark, so it scares him."

"Told ya." Hoggle said.

"He'll probably stop in a minute, just go to sleep, and he'll be better tomorrow."

Surprisingly both of them listened and left her to comfort Toby. But no matter what she did, he wouldn't stop crying. She tried rocking, bouncing, walking around, everything she could think of, but nothing helped. Thankfully, it didn't seem to be keeping the others awake. She could still make out Ludo's snoring, and neither Jareth nor Hoggle had stirred in a while. "Toby, _please._ I know you want Karen, and I know its dark, but we need to go to sleep." _Well, you can sleep all day if you want to, but_ I _need some sleep._

"He certainly is persistent, isn't he?"

Sarah jumped a bit at the voice, and turned around. She could just make out Jareth's figure and glowing eyes in the darkness. "I thought you were asleep."

"As I if that's possible with that noise."

"Hoggle and Ludo had no trouble."

"Well, they aren't insomniacs, and I'm pretty sure Ludo can sleep through anything."

"True."

"Have you tried rocking him?"

"Yes, it didn't work."

"Well that's apparent. What about those cat sounds he laughs at?"

"Tried them too, but I think he got tired of those."

"Well what does your moth...what does _Karen_ usually do?"

"I don't know, she puts him to bed a few hours before me, so I don't see what she does."

Jareth sighed. "Did you try singing?"

Sarah flushed with embarrassment. She was glad he couldn't see it. "I, umm...don't sing. Like, at all."

"What sort of girl doesn't sing?"

"The ones that befriend trolls and run Labyrinths."

"...Touché." He sat up, slowly. "Give him to me, I'll do it."

She'd almost forgotten the Goblin King could sing. Sarah had to admit, he had a very good voice, much better than her own. But she was still hesitant to hand her enemy her baby brother.

Jareth picked up on it. "Do you want to sleep any time soon, or shall I let you go back to cat sounds? Look, what am I going to do, just take him, and run out of here into the Gargoyle infested Labyrinth in the dark of night?"

He had a point. She held out Toby, and Jareth took him and held him. For a moment, she surprised he knew the proper way, when she remembered that not only had he "babysat" Toby before, but was also an older sibling himself. She sat down next to him, but not too close.

"Now how did that old song go?" he puzzled. "Well, I doubt either of you will notice if I mess up a few words, so..."

He cleared his throat, and began to sing:

 _"_ _There's such a sad love_

 _Deep in your eyes_

 _A kind of pale jewel_

 _Open and closed_

 _Within your eyes_

 _I'll place the sky within your eyes"_

From the first word, Sarah remembered the song. A hard memory, one she could rarely recall, came back to her. She had been dancing, slowly, in a white dress. People around her were in funny costumes and masks. All except for her dance partner.

He had lowered some of the higher notes, and was singing it a bit slower. Gradually, Toby's crying got quieter.

 _"_ _There's such a fooled heart_

 _Beatin' so fast_

 _In search of new dreams._

 _A love that will last_

 _Within your heart"_

Sarah yawned quietly. She rested her head on her hand.

" _I'll_ _place the moon within your heart"_

She figured it wouldn't hurt to lay back down. The song would end soon, and Toby was looking tired. He had stopped crying now and was just sort of looking at Jareth with a blank expression.

 _"_ _As the pain sweeps through_

 _Makes no sense for you_

 _Every thrill has gone_

 _Wasn't too much fun at all"_

 _This certainly is a weird song,_ Sarah thought. _But if it works on Toby, I don't care what he sings._ She looked over and was surprised to see Jareth gently wiping the baby's tears away. Toby barely squirmed. For a moment, she could've sworn the Goblin King was smiling.

 _"_ _But I'll be there for you_

 _As the world falls down…"_

He _was_ smiling! It wasn't even one of his arrogant, manipulative grins, but a real, honest to goodness _smile._

 _"_ _Falling…"_

Sarah watched as Toby rubbed his eyes, and finally closed them. Her own were starting to feel heavy. She yawned again, and closed them. She was so tired.

 _"_ _Falling down"_

Her breathing deepened. She turned onto her side and used her hands as a pillow.

 _"_ _Falling in love…"_


	8. Chapter 8

Slowly, Sarah woke up, sore for sleeping on the hard stone floor. Her right hip hurt from the way she'd fallen asleep, her eyes were still tired, and her brain was slow to process. Gradually, the events of the previous day came to her: Learning a bit more about Rivina, being embarrassed and breaking down at the two doors, Jareth and Hoggle arguing, finding the worm, going through the tunnel, Jareth singing Toby to sleep... _Toby! Jareth still has Toby!_

She sat up, quickly, and looked to her left. She was shocked to see the scene before her. Everyone else was still asleep, though the sun was starting to come up. Jareth was lying on his back, with Toby curled up in his arm. They looked so peaceful. Slowly, she moved a bit closer to the Goblin King, being careful to avoid Toby. She didn't want them to wake up. Not yet.

She looked down at Jareth's face, studying it. This was her enemy. She hated him. Just yesterday, she had been humiliated by him in front of her closest friends. Yet, here he was with a baby next to him. Toby seemed to really like him. Sarah had no clue why, or how he even remembered Jareth, but she knew it was true.

She kept looking down at them, her mind wondering. Why had Jareth seemed so different last night? So willing to help with the baby? And why was he smiling? She had never seen him smile like that, not even when he thought he would defeat her.

Suddenly, the King's eyes shot open. "Boo!"

"Aaaahh!" Sarah fell backwards, surprised and a bit scared.

Jareth laughed, and sat up. "Now _that_ is how you start the day. You should see your face right now."

"I thought you were asleep!"

"I was, until I felt someone breathing on my face. What in the world you were doing?"

 _Oh, I was just watching you sleep, like a weirdo. By the way, why weren't you a jerk last night?_ she thought. "I was wondering if I should wake you up or not. The sun is coming up, but you all looked so tired still."

Toby squirmed, opening his little eyes. "Oh, now look what your girlish screams did, you woke the baby up." Jareth picked up Toby, and looked at him.

Hoggle yawned and got up. "Why is Sarah screaming?" he asked, still groggy.

"That's a loyal friend, wakes up three minutes _after_ you yell. Then again, at least that one got up." Jareth snickered, as Sarah glanced at the sleeping Ludo.

"Can someone wake him up, and can I have Toby back now?"

"I don't know, I think he likes me better."

"Can I please have the baby, or do I have to wait 13 hours?"

"You're really not a morning person." he observed, handing over the baby.

"Ludo?" Hoggle was on his feet, poking the behemoth. "Ludo, ya gotta get up."

"I'm not carrying him." Jareth stated.

"No one was asking you to." Sarah said, looking for a jar of baby food in her backpack. "Want some mushy peas again? No, you just had those. Why did I bring mushy pears, you don't even eat them. Then again, why does your mom keep buying them?" She paused and looked at Toby. "Why do I keep talking to you when you can't say anything back?"

"Because you're mental." the Goblin King told her. "Oh, really, he can't be _that_ much of a heavy sleeper."

"Come _on,_ Ludo. We gotta get goin."

The beast moved around, and groaned.

"Alright, Toby, how about some….mushy peaches?" Then Sarah remembered. "You know, let's not eat peaches, they're probably, ummm….spoiled."

"Once again," Jareth began, as Ludo got to his feet. _"Powerless."_

"That doesn't mean I trust you."

"Who got us through the doors?"

She was stuck with that gloomy feeling again. The one that made her feel useless, that made her wonder why she was even there. She didn't really know anything about this Rivina, other than her powers, and couldn't really do much to protect her friends against her.

"Oh, don't start _that_ again." Hoggle told him, followed by a growl from Ludo. "Just because breaking down Sarah makes you feel powerful doesn't mean you should. She trying to help you."

"I'm not doing it to improve my emotional state, Hodgle. I'm trying to teach her the simple lesson that she doesn't know everything."

"By ruining the one thing she did?!"

"Can we just drop the subject and get moving?" Sarah asked, holding Toby while feeding him mushy bananas. "It's not that important."

"Sarah, of course it is." Hoggle chided.

"Taking down Rivina is the main priority, not me."

"Great, now you made her feel like garbage."

"I did nothing of the sort."

"Oh, you've got arrogance up to your ears, and one day, you're going to drown in it."

"Can you _please_ not fight again?" Sarah begged. "The sun's up so we should probably start heading to the castle again so the Goblin King can shove something else I don't know in my face, okay? Okay, let's go." And with that, she walked through the tunnel.

The others were right behind her, first Jareth, then Hoggle, and finally a sleepy Ludo bringing up the back. They walked in silence for a while, Sarah caught up in her thoughts once again.

 _You can't let him get to you. You have to stay strong. This is a new enemy, and new elements. You have to stop beating on yourself, and focus on the problem. You aren't the problem. You're helping. You're protecting your friends._

But a cloud of gray was stop still forming over her head.

 _How? How are you going to do that? Just because you know what Rivina can do doesn't mean you can stop it. What if Hoggle is about to get attacked by a Gargoyle? The final battle could be in the dark. What do you do then? Jump on the thing? Smash it with your bare hands?_ "...Can Gargoyle be broken when they're still active?"

"No, you've got to do it when they're paralyzed by the sun." Jareth told her.

 _There goes that idea. What if her fairies attack Ludo? You can't swat a whole swarm! And Ludo is helpless! He couldn't hurt a fly, so what's he gonna do with a bunch of fairies?_ Her mind went into a frenzy. _What if Jareth can't get his magic back, and Rivina wins? What'll happen to the Labyrinth? Will the Gargoyles kill the rest_ _of the people here? Will she enslave them? What do I_ do?! Then suddenly, a horrible thought came to her.

 _What if my friends get hurt...and I can't do a thing to save them?_

Sarah's heart ached. Hoggle and Ludo were her best friends! She had to keep them safe. And Jareth...well, frankly, she hated him. But that didn't mean she wished him ill will. After all, he _was_ the rightful ruler.

"Sarah?" Hoggle asked. "You alright? You're really pale."

She stopped dead in her tracks. "Why did I even come here?"

"Whaddaya mean?"

"I can't do it." she told him, very frightened and panic stricken.

"Sarah, what are you talkin' about? If this is about yesterday, with the doors, I told you-"

"But what if your wrong?" She spun on her heels. She didn't mean it personally, but she was really frazzled. "Everyone thinks I'm just gonna show up and fix everything, like last time!" She gestured to Jareth, her hand trembling. "He's right! This isn't like last time! I'm facing someone I've never even heard of in a giant maze full of monsters, and, and faires, and doors, and Bogs, and oubliettes,-"

"Sarah, Sarah, calm _down."_

"And I came here because I knew as your friend, I had to protect you, and I had to help you, but how am I supposed to do that when I'm as clueless and as helpless as the rest of you?!" She set Toby on the ground. "What if Rivina attacks and I can't do anything?! What if she hurts you guys and I can't help?! What if, what if... _aaahh!"_

She turned around and started to run. She couldn't think. She couldn't look at them. She was so overwhelmed.

"Sarah, come back! Let's talk about this! We can help!"

"Sawah!"

Sarah ignored their calls and ran down the next corner, hiding behind a wall. She stopped, tears welling up in her eyes again. Her breath was shaky. Her hands were trembling. She couldn't fight the image in her head of her friends getting hurt, and her doing nothing, because she couldn't.

In about less than a minute, she heard their voices.

"I hope you realize that this whole thing is your fault." Hoggle said.

"Hey, I was just taking some of the air out of her balloon of a head." Jareth defended.

"Well now you _deflated_ it. Not that her head is an actual balloon."

"I didn't mean for her to go all coocoo."

"Well, she did, so now _you_ can go fix her."

"Excuse me, but last time I checked, _I_ was her enemy, and _you two_ were her bosom companions, therefore you should do it."

"First of all, nobody says that. Second, again, you're the reason she thinks all of this, so _you_ have to go talk to her. She won't listen to us, she too afraid."

"Fine, I'll just drag her back over here."

"I said _talk_ to her."

"Again, you're ordering me around!"

"Look, we don't _have_ to keep helping you with your sister, or the Gargoyles, so unless you want to take on Rivina with no power, and get yourself killed, go talk to her, and make her feel better."

"...There are no words to describe how much I hate you right now, Piggle."

"It's _Hog_...oh, nevermind, just go get Sarah."

 _Don't come over here,_ she thought desperately. _Please don't come over here. I hate you. You aren't going to help, you're going to make it worse. Leave me alone. Just tell me how to get home, and I'll take Toby and leave. I'm no help, I'll just get it the way._

"Sarah?" he called, the sound of his boots approaching. "Sarah, I know you're over here. You're not stupid enough to just book it through the Labyrinth, especially in that state it's in.

 _Don't come over here. Don't come over here._

"There you are. Knew you wouldn't go far." He was right behind her, leaning against the wall.

"Go. Away."

"Oh, now you're going to boss me around too, hmm?"

"I don't want to talk to you. I _hate_ you."

"And I don't really want to have a heart-to-heart with you either, but if I don't, your pet troll will hold me down while the rock monster bludgeons me into oblivion. So, here we are."

"Go kiss a Firey, you jerk!"

"Head on, or off?"

Oh, _you,"_ She turned around, her fear and sadness turned to boiling rage. " _You...you!"_

"Me."

Sarah looked up to the sky and closed her eyes, tightly. _"AAAAHHHHHHHHH!"_

"Got that out of your system?"

Sarah caught her breath and swiped at the tears in her eyes.

"Oh, dear God don't start hyperventilating. Or crying. Teenager tears make my ears ring."

"You're such a pain."

"It's a living."

"Just get away from me."

"Not until you quit sniveling, and look good enough to convince Hedwig."

"His name is _Hoggle!_ God, you're such a rotten king, you don't even know your subjects names!"

"In my defense, it's only his. And this isn't about me, it's about you. So is your mind at peace after that womanly screech, or do I really have to do this comforting thing?"

"Just go away, you're not gonna help anyway."

"True, which makes me wonder once more, why I'm doing this. I mean, really, I don't even see what your problem is."

 _"_ _What's my problem?!"_ Sarah shouted. "Oh, gee, Jareth, I don't know! Maybe I'm just overreacting! Maybe I'm just being a drama queen!"

"Both highly plausible theories."

"Maybe it's because, oh, I dunno, I'm being forced to help the one guy I'd really like to push into the Bog of Stench!"

"Ouch. My feelings."

"Maybe it's because I'm in a world I don't understand!"

"Now we're getting down to it."

"Or maybe it's because that world has now been taken by some psycho that's worse than and more powerful than you!"

"Psycho's not really the right word. More like crazy, out of control, nuttier than squirrel vomit, vengeful lunatic who I just happen to be related to."

"Perhaps it's because I have no clue how to help, and because of that, I feel like more of a liability than someone to depend on!"

"You're getting warmer." he sang.

"Or maybe it's because if you put all of those things together, you realize you're just one girl against a bunch of monsters and an enemy you've never faced in a big giant maze with countless obstacles...and you can't help but wonder to yourself...what if when it really comes down to it, and you have to do something crazy in order to save the people you care about...you can't?" She sighed, closed her eyes, and leaned her head against the wall.

"And there you have it." Jareth said. "The underlying problem. I ought to give up this King gig and be a psychiatrist. I didn't even have to say much. So now what?"

"What do you mean 'now what'?"

"What are you going to fix your problem?"

"I was sort of hoping there was a way to get Toby and I back home."

"Oh, so _that's_ your solution." Jareth began, walking forwards a bit. "Things get a bit complicated, and you want to give up. Well, I'm not sure if I should tell you this. It'll make you despise me."

"I already despise you, so spit it out."

"Well, giving up doesn't really seem to be your style. I mean that's not what you did…last time."

"So what? This isn't like that."

"True. It's not. But just because the game changes a bit doesn't mean you should stop playing. Just means you've got to rethink how you play it."

"This is an entirely different game."

"Is it?" Sarah opened her eyes and saw Jareth mumble something into his crystal. He walked back over to her, smirking, and she gazed into it. "The last time you were here, you were facing an enemy you didn't know much about," The crystal swirled to show the Goblin King in all his glory standing in her window. "In a world you didn't understand," She saw herself standing in front of the Labyrinth doors. "With countless obstacles you didn't quite understand," She was being held by the Helping Hands. "Which scared you a bit. And yet…" He swirled the small crystal ball in his hand a bit, and the image changed once again. "When it came down to it...you did what you came here to do."

There she stood, facing the Goblin King in the Escher Room. The crystal Sarah opened her mouth, staring at him, and said the words that gave her victory: _"You have no power over me."_

He pocketed the crystal again, and looked down her. "See? Not an entirely different game. Just a few new players."

"But this game is harder."

"It was hard last time, too." Jareth told her. "But you succeeded. And do you understand how? Because you had help. And you _learned._ That's what I was trying to get you to do at the doors, hence I showed you how to do it."

"But what if I can't do it this time?"

"What if, what if, what if, my God, I think I preferred your other catchphrase, 'That's not fair'. Could you go back to that one, because this one makes you even more annoying? What if an enormous three headed pterodactyl comes and scoops up the baby?"

"...Do those exist?"

"Oh, come now, you've been around me for over a full day! You should be able to pick out my sarcasm from my regular speech!"

"You have regular speech?"

"...See, I had a point to all of this, and now I forgot where I was going."

"Something about pterodactyls."

"No, that's not what you're supposed to get out of this. My point is that you can't keep worrying about what could happen, because, as much as I hate it, we have to do this together, or what _will_ happen is Rivina will take over the Labyrinth and potentially destroy it's residence. And possibly me, depending on what sort of mood she's in."

Sarah stared at him, slightly in awe. "Are you actually admitting the fact that you need my help? _Our_ help?"

"Let's go back to the pterodactyl topic. Are you over your stupid pity party, or do I have to drag you through this Labyrinth by your hair?"

 _Huh….that actually worked. I actually feel better!_ "Who are you, and what've you done with the Goblin King?"

"I'll take that as a 'yes, thank you so much, oh, almighty Goblin King'. Let's keep moving then." He began to walk away.

 _I can't believe I'm about to say this._ Sarah thought. _But...he_ did _admit he needed my help. And he kinda just gave me a pep talk, soooo…._ "Jareth?"

He stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"Ummm...thanks."

The Goblin King gave her a confused looked, and walked away, uncomfortably, not saying a word.


	9. Chapter 9

Jareth and Sarah didn't speak after that. She mainly talked to Hoggle, and told him what had been wrong with her. Well, most of it, at least. After that was cleared up, she reflected on what the Goblin King had told her. She was surprised that she'd opened up to him of all people. But then again, it had been a moment of weakness. Yet, he had treated the situation in a way she hadn't expected. He didn't laugh at her, or tell her she was being a dramatic "daft cow". He wasn't even much of a jerk about it. He actually took her problem seriously, and helped her through it.

That certainly didn't sound like the Goblin King she knew.

"So you're alright now?" Hoggle asked.

"Yeah, I think so. I mean, last time we all won together in the end, right? Now we just have to do it again."

"Right."

Sarah moved Toby to her left shoulder, and saw that Jareth had stopped again. She walked up to his side to see what the problem was.

The Wise Man and his bird hat were seated in a chair in an open corridor. His mustache was long and white, as was his hair. He was dressed in lengthy robes and pointed shoes. Atop his head was a large bird that was only visible from the neck up.

"I thought he was by the oubliette exit before." Sarah said.

"Remember, things move around in the Labyrinth." Hoggle reminded her.

"Wonder if he knows anything." Jareth pondered.

She shrugged. "Can't hurt to ask, right?"

"No, I suppose not."

The group walked over to the old man in his chair. As they got closer, they could hear some faint snoring. "Oh, fantastic." The King grumbled. "The wisest in the kingdom when it's been taken over...and he's sleeping."

"Well he _is_ over one million, right?"

Jareth nudged the man's shoulder. No response. He tried tapping the sleeping bird, but that didn't work either. "Wise man. Wake up, you old bat, you're King requires your help."

The bird stirred and opened up its eyes. He looked up, and saw the group. "Oh, thought you might show up. And you brought _her_ back, too." He looked at Sarah, then at Jareth. "Queen Coocoo Bird ain't gonna like that."

"Rivina is _not_ the Queen. Just wake up the Wise Man so I may speak with him." Jareth scolded.

"Alright, alright, keep your tight pants on." The bird lowered its head and yelled in the old man's ear. "Hola, Sleeping Beauty! Your old chum the King is back for some advice." He then pecked at the man's head.

"Ouch! Cut that out, you horrible pest!" The Wise Man's eyes bolted open and he whacked the bird away. "You horrible creature! Why I ought to let those Gargoyle creatures have their way with...oh! Why didn't you tell me we had visitors?"

"I was getting to that."

"Prince Jareth...oh, I mean your Majesty. Pardon me, I've known your family so long, I get your many titles confused."

"That's alright." Jareth said, shocking Sarah. He was being oddly respectful.

"Oh, and by the way, I'm not sure if you're aware, but your sister has returned from her banishment in the Out of Bounds."

"...I'm aware. In fact, old friend, that's what I came to ask about. Have you heard any news from the castle?"

"No, I'm sorry, your Highness, I haven't. I just heard she'd taken over, and noted the Gargoyles."

"Well, what do you suggest we do to defeat her?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, I'll tell you what I'm gonna do to defeat her." Jareth interrupted. "I'm gonna grab her by her hair, and just," He paused, miming out strangling someone, violently. Toby laughed, and Sarah covered his eyes.

"That's why she didn't ask you." Hoggle pointed out.

"Oh, young lady. I didn't realize you were here as well." The Wise Man said. "You know, your Majesty, Rivina will not like that."

"That's what I told him." The bird snapped.

"I don't _care_ what she doesn't like." Jareth told them.

"Well, if this is going to be anything like the previous time this occurred, then you're in for a wild ride, young woman." The Wise Man explained.

"The previous time?" Sarah asked. "This happened before?"

"Once."

"What happened?"

"She went mad with power." The Wise Man told her. "Rivina took over, and nearly destroyed the Labyrinth. She released the fairies onto the kingdom, and tried to create monsters to ensure there would be no chance of an uprising. She was not powerful enough to do so at the time. Yet, I see now that she has been working on a few new tricks while in the Out of Bounds."

"I've never heard of this place."

"The Out of Bounds is like a barren wasteland." Jareth said. "There's water, food, basic necessities, but there's no one else there. She couldn't raise an army, or anything."

"It's kind of like the Alaska of the Underground." Hoggle explained.

"Oh." _I guess that makes sense._

"I banished her there about three hundred years ago. Give or take a week."

"I still can't believe you're five hundred."

"Hey I was only around two hundred back then. That's like being in your late twenties."

 _"_ _Anyhow,"_ The bird began trying to regain their focus.

They turned back to the Wise Man, who continued. "She is stronger than before, as we have all witnessed. It will be harder to defeat her this time around. In order to do so, you must combine your strengths. You are all necessary to the plan."

"What plan?" Sarah asked, hoping the elder knew what to do.

"...You don't have a plan?"

"We were working on the getting to the castle part." Jareth told him sheepishly. His face reminded Sarah of a teenage boy who had to explain to his father that he crashed the car.

"Well I suggest you put one together."

"Well gee, that sure is wise." Hoggle said sarcastically.

"I apologize for not being of more help to you all." he told them humbly. "But allow me to give you some advice: Each of us have our differences. Our differences are what make us the same."

"Yes, that's all fine and good," Jareth looked to the sky. "But how am I supposed to defeat her without my powers? Until I get them back, she's stronger than me. And it's not like she's just going to hand them over to me."

"Together, you have all the power you need."

"I have no powers, a troll, a teenager, a rock monster, and a baby. She has the fairies, her dolls, my castle, her cards, and her bloodthirsty Gargoyles. How exactly do we have the upper hand over here…he's asleep again, isn't he?"

The bird looked down and saw the Wise Man had nodded off. "Well, what did you expect?"

"Oh, to heck with it." Jareth walked over to the side and the followed. He dug into his pocket, and took out the crystal. "Show me Rivina." He kneeled down so they could all see it.

The crystal swirled. A woman stood, looking down a staircase . _She really_ does _look like the female version of Jareth._ Sarah observed, getting her first look at Rivina. She had short, curly hair that was pulled back in a small, high ponytail. It was as blonde as her brother's. Her eyes were brown, and she had mascara on.

"What in the world is she wearin'?" Hoggle asked.

"Bleh." Ludo snorted. "Pink bad."

Rivina was dressed in a large, swirling, flower-like dress. It was horribly pink. "Oh dear God, not _that_ old thing." Jareth cringed. "She's wearing the Tulip dress again. I've always detested that thing."

 _Yup. He certainly is her older brother._

"I'm surprised that stupid thing's still alive. I should've burned it when I banished her."

Sarah looked away from the crystal at the Goblin King. "What do you mean 'still alive'? It's a _dress."_

"Look closer." he instructed. "It's a giant flower. She has to water the stupid thing and everything."

Sarah looked back at Rivina, who was trotting down the stairs in long, silver heels. He was right! She was really wearing a flower. The stem was wrapped tightly around her chest and stomach. At her waist, the Tulip began to bloom, first a very light pink, but growing darker as it went further down. The flower grew wider at her hips, and she could see each petal. Rivina's long nails were painted an elegant purple. She was the definition of a girly girl.

"Yikes." Sarah said quietly.

Hoggle smirked. "Wonder where she puts the fertilizer for that thing." Both he and Jareth laughed a bit.

"Oh, my precious fairies," Rivina sang in the crystal ball, interrupting the laughter. "How is the redecorating coming, my babies?"

"Redecorating?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, no she didn't." Jareth snarled. "If she touches one thing in my throne room…"

The crystal followed as Rivina walked over to several light blue lights that darted around the room. "Wow." Sarah's eyes widened. "That's a lot of fairies."

"Funny." Jareth said sourly. "I thought I'd ordered someone to kill those little buggers."

"Don't look at me." Hoggle told him. "I'm just one guy with only a few cans of Fairycide. Those thing breed like mad. It's like cutting off a Hydra head. Kill one, four more appear."

"Well then you should've killed them fast _GOOD LORD, MY CASTLE!"_

Sarah looked back into the crystal. The walls were covered in pink fur. The floor was being covered in hideous purple tile. Sarah was about to puke. Jareth looked like he might faint.

"Lift! Lift with your legs." Rivina ordered a small group of fairies as they carried in a large, jewel covered throne. "More to the left. No, not that far. Go right. Little more. No, go back a little. Right where my stupid brothers tiny throne was. Perfect!"

Jareth shook the crystal and the image was gone. He pocketed it and got to his feet. "When I get my hands on that spoiled little brat, I swear I'll, _I'll,-"_

"You'll what?" Hoggle asked. "You already tried banishment. What else is there? It's not like you could actually kill her."

"No, but sometimes she just _really_ drives me up the wall!" He began to walk down the next path, seething, and they followed close behind.

"Jareth, slow down." Sarah asked. "I know you're ticked off, but you've got longer legs." She caught a few of his mumblings as she tried to catch up.

"Furry walls...purple floors...should've killed those fairies myself...ruined the throne room...our _parents_ throne room...disrespectful little brat...when I get through...wish she was never born…"

 _Just leave him be._ Sarah told herself. _He's ticked off. You don't want to make it worse._

 _But he's upset. You know what it's like to be angry with your sibling._ She looked at Toby, who was actually awake, and lively. _And you have to admit, he made you feel better back there -though he was the one who made you feel like trash- so you sort of owe him one._

She caught up with the King and looked at him. He was still really fired up. _Tread carefully, Sarah. Approaching an angry Goblin King is like jump roping on ice._ "Hey, so, ummm...are you okay?"

"Oh, are _you_ going to play psychiatrist now? Is that it?"

"You just look mad."

"Happy as a clown."

 _Well, you've got the makeup._ "Anything I can do to help?"

"Not unless you can get my sister in a headlock in the next minute or so."

"I'll make a note of that for when we get into your castle. But is there anything that can help right _now?"_

He was quiet for a minute, in deep thought. Sarah wondered if he forgot she was there. His anger melted from his face, and Sarah watched as it was replaced by a pensive look.

"You know, that furry stuff will probably come off pretty easily. And she just put it up, so, it probably hasn't set. And the tile-"

"It's not the _decor_ that bothers me." Jareth snapped, finally looking at her.

"So, what is it? Because something sure is bothering you."

"...That throne room was decorated by my ancestors." he mumbled. Again, Sarah thought maybe she turned invisible. Here he was, the great and fear inducing Goblin King, talking about his family history. "My great, great grandfather painted the walls with his Queen. She painted an entire mural. Now my stupid sister's covered it up with pink fur. The one thing we learned very early on in life was 'Don't make a mess of the throne room'. Now look what she's done to it. She's basically spat upon our entire bloodline."

Sarah nodded slowly, taking in what he said. She was kind of surprised that he had talked to her about this sort of thing. But just like herself a while ago, it was his moment of weakness. "So, it's not the remodeling that's bugging you. It's the face that she disrespected your family."

"I told you." Jareth told her. "Rivina doesn't care about anyone but herself."

"Well, what about you?"

Jareth snorted, smirking a bit. "Oh, sure, she just walked into the castle, 'Hiya, big brother. I'm back from my vacation, check out my tan. How've you been? Give me a hug.'"

"Well, I guess that was kind of a dumb question."

"She overthrew me. She stole my powers. She stuck me in my own Labyrinth." He laughed. Not a happy laugh, but a sarcastic laugh. "Years and years of looking after this brat, making sure the darned Fireys didn't try to take her head off, and this is how the rotten little girl thanks me."

Sarah wasn't quite sure what to say. "I'm sorry your sister is a disrespectful brat"? "It'll get better"? "I'll hogtie her, and you chuck her in the oubliette"?! _Maybe it's best not to say anything at all._ She thought. _Sometimes the best kind of comfort is just listening. Huh. I'm comforting my enemy. How weird. Well, Rivina is the enemy at the moment. And you know what they say, "The enemy of my enemy is my"...um...non-enemy._

Toby squirmed, almost making Sarah dropped him. He made some baby garble and reached out for something. "Ow, Toby, stop! You're kicking me!" But he kept up, reaching out for...Jareth?!

Toby keep making his little noises, and reached out for the King's sleeve. He looked over curiously. "You know, that's not the way you hold a baby."

"He won't stay still. I don't not know what's up with him."

Toby whined and stretched out his hands. "What?" Jareth asked, looking very confused. "What do you want?"

"He can't talk, remember? Toby, that hurts."

The King looked a bit concerned. What in world was the baby acting like this? "I'm not bloody doing anything."

"Here, just take him!"

"What?"

"Hold him! He wants you for some reason, that's why he's doing this."

"Alright, alright, here, I've got him." He was looking at Sarah like she was crazy. Sarah felt Toby's weight leave her as the Goblin King scooped him up and looked at him. He held Toby up to his face and just looked puzzled. Toby quieted and stared right back at him. "Such a funny little baby you are." Toby laughed and touched the King's hair.

"Careful, sometimes he likes to pull it." Sarah said, as they started walking again. "My arms were getting tired, anyway." But fear grew in her again. He'd wanted the Goblin a king to carry him. Sarah was really starting to believe Toby remembered him, maybe even liked him. After all, he seemed to treat him better than the horrible sister that had wished him away in the first place. "Do you think...you don't suppose he recognizes you, do you?"

"It's possible, but he's still young, so maybe not."

"Then why does he want you to carry him?"

"Maybe you smell."

"Seriously. I mean, it's not that it wouldn't be cool if he remembered the Labyrinth and everything,but...I don't want him to know how he got here in the first place."

"I doubt he'll recall that."

"Really?"

"No, I'm lying. He'll remember you wishing him away for all eternity, and hate you for the rest of your life...that was sarcasm if you couldn't tell."

"Yah, I got that one. It's getting a little easier to pick out."

"But really, he probably won't remember that much detail. He'll probably be able to visualize some goblins, bits of the castle...me singing and dancing like an idiot."

"Singing and dancing?"

"Don't look at me like that, he was crying. Random musical numbers make babies happy."

"Well, he seemed to like your singing last night, too." _Maybe I should get him on tape, so Toby'll go to sleep faster at night._

"Worked on you, as well."

"Don't flatter yourself, I was really tired."

"And my enchanting vocals lulled you into a deep sleep. You're welcome."

 _Still a jerk. But I don't hate him_ as much.

"Ouch!"

She cringed. "I told you he pulled hair. Here, I'll take him back if you want."

"No, it's quite alright, he's just got a strong grip. It's not my first time dealing with hair-pulling babies. Rivina was one too, at one point."

"That had to be fun."

"She was actually pretty well mannered when she was young. _Now_ she's as headache."

"You know, the Wise Man did bring up a good point: We don't actually know what we're going to do once we're in the castle."

She looked at Jareth, waiting for a response. He looked like he was thinking while bouncing Toby on his shoulder. It was kind of weird, watching the Goblin King be so good with kids. She'd always seen him as a crazed, tyrannical monarch bent on revenge.

"Ouch! Alright, that's still attached to my head. What was your question again? Oh, a plan."

 _Maybe I haven't been looking at him right. Maybe I need to look at him a little harder, because now he's confusing me. First he beats me into the ground at the doors, then he sings my brother to sleep. Then he gives me a pep talk, though that wasn't really because of him._ Now, _he's letting Toby yank his hair, and actually talking to me without mocking me, or being a pain._ She decided she was going to have to watch the King a little closer.

"Well," he started. "We've got to get my magic back, that's the first priority. Without that, she's stronger than all of us. If I get my powers, I can at least hold her off, maybe even defeat her myself."

"The Wise Man said we were all necessary to the plan." Hoggle reminded them.

"That was when he thought we had one."

"Well, Hoggle has a point. I mean last time," Sarah was getting really sick of saying that. "it was sort of between you and I, so therefore a one on one battle made sense. But Rivina's kind of a threat to everyone, not just you, so we should try to use everyone's strengths like the Wise Man suggested."

"Well then what do you suggest?"

"Umm…. " Sarah was taken aback a bit. "Well, we _should_ get your powers back, but we need to figure out how we're going to do that. We have to be prepared for anything she throws at us. Like….well...Hoggle can deal with the fairies, if she uses them."

"He couldn't handle a few of them, what makes you think he can take on an army?"

"We'd need a lot more people for that." The troll agreed. "And I hate to tell you this Sarah, but the other people of the Labyrinth aren't too keen on takin' on Rivina."

"Well, can't you convince them?" She asked the King.

"I can't forcefully make an army. Besides, half the citizens don't listen to me anyhow."

"Alright, well...Ludo can help you, Hoggle. Right Ludo? You can summon rocks to come squash the fairies."

"Uh huh."

"Now we're getting somewhere." Hoggle nodded.

"And Jareth can try to get near her card deck. You said she put your magic in a card, right?"

"That's correct. But what are you going to do? And what do we do with the baby?"

Sarah had to think about that. What eerie her strengths? And what _would_ she do with Toby? "Well...I guess I can be ready to fight her voodoo dolls if she throws them at us. I mean, she can't have _that_ many, right?"

"She's been stuck in the Out of Bounds for three centuries." Jareth commented. "That's a lot of free time."

"Well...they're just dolls."

"Dolls enchanted with voodoo magic and under her control."

"They're like, five inches tall!" Hoggle told them.

"Yes, but there's a lot of them, and they're persistent. I'm not trying to scare her, I'm trying to let her know what she's up against, Hedgehog."

"That's not even close to my actual name."

"We still haven't figured out what she's gonna do with the baby."

"Well, I suppose I'll just have to leave him outside the castle. I can't really take him into battle with me."

"When I was a baby, my parents used to sword fight in front of me. Sometimes when I was strapped to one of them." Jareth explained. "They said it would make me fearless in battle, as well as build character... _Sarcasm,_ Sarah! _Sarcasm!_ Don't look at me like that makes sense!"

"I'm sorry, I don't know what of household you were brought up in! So far, it seems like Rivina turned out pretty messed up, and you seem like you have issues yourself."

"That's not because of parenting, that's because she's a spoiled little pain who drives me crazy! Our parents couldn't do something wrong it they tried."

"...Alright then."

"Well, guess we have a basic plan now." Hoggle stated, changing the subject. "In a nutshell, we try to battle any of Rivina's followers while Jareth gets his powers, and takes her down."

Toby made a small noise, and both Jareth and Sarah looked at him. He reached out and touched Jareth's nose. The King smiled, just as he had done the night before. _He really likes Toby._ Sarah thought. _I wonder if this is how he was with Rivina when she was small. And if it was...what changed?_


	10. Chapter 10

"What?! What is she saying?" The cat-like doorknocker shouted.

"Oh, God, not these geniuses." Jareth complained, resting his forehead in his hand. "Why are there so many guessing obstacles in this Labyrinth? You have to guess which way is right when you're caught by the Hands, make an educated guess with the Guards, and now you have to guess which of _these_ doors to knock on."

"I said, 'I remember this part'." Sarah said.

"Mumble, mumble, mumble!"

"It's best to just not even try with that ring in his ears." Hoggle told her.

"What?! Speak up!"

"Let's just pick a door before I get a migraine from all his shouting, alright?" The Goblin King asked, getting annoyed.

"Well, I tried the door with the ring in his mouth before," Sarah started. "And that led Ludo and I into this sort of forest-like place, until Ludo fell down a kind of trap door, eventually ending up in the Bog of Stench."

"And on top of me." Hoggle reminded her.

"Well, we obliviously want to _avoid_ the Bog, though it's no worse than the baby's diaper." Jareth explained. "What if you try the door with his ears plugged? Even if it's wrong, at least he'll quit shouting for a few minutes."

"Will you speak up?! I can't hear you! Got a ring in my ears!"

"Well, whichever one we pick, it's still a guess." Sarah pointed out. "They don't know what lies beyond their door."

"All your whispering is extremely irritating!"

Sarah saw Jareth cringe with pain, as he told her, "If the other door had Bog traps, then there is good chance the opposite won't."

"But it could have something worse." Hoggle added.

"Worse than the Bog?" Sarah asked.

"Anything's possible with Rivina around."

"Are you just going to stand there all day, mumbling, or are you going to pick a door?!"

Toby, who was still being carried by the Goblin King, started making whining sounds. "Look, we're wasting daylight by batting this around. Sarah, get the ring from the other door, I'll get this one. We'll see what they know when they can actually understand one another."

 _Why didn't I think of that?_ She walked over to the Knocker with the ring in his mouth, and pulled it out. The Knocker looked very relieved and stretched it's mouth.

"There, now you can quit making my ears bleed." Jareth said to his Knocker, the ring now in his hands.

"Finally, you learned how to speak at a good volume." it retorted. Sarah giggled a little. _He reminds me of my grandma. She really needs to get herself a hearing aid. She always blames us for talking too quietly, when we're really talking at a regular level._

"We don't have time for this," Jareth shot back. "Could one of you just explain which of your doors is the best one to go through?"

"How should we know?" Sarah's Knocker asked.

"See, they don't know anything past their own doors." Sarah repeated.

"They've got to know _something._ "

"We know lots of things," Jareth's responded sourly. "Just not anything that interests the royal King and his band of weirdos."

"It's true." Sarah's said.

"Can't you help at all?" she asked.

"We've been stuck on these doors all our lives, we don't know anything else." Jareth's told her.

"You'll just have to pick, and hope for the best." Sarah's explained.

"I say pick his," The formerly-deaf one suggested. "That ring hurts my ears."

"Excuse me, but my jaw is sore, so I don't want my ring back either!"

"Keep your voice down, you twit! I'm right here!"

"First everyone's too _quiet_ , now they're too _loud._ Make up your mind!"

"Hold on, just calm down. There's no reason to argue." Sarah said quickly, trying to regain their peace.

"You ought to have that ring back so it can block your big mouth!"

"If you let them put _your_ ring back, you won't hear me!"

"My door has a bunch of traps in it! They don't want mine!"

"Yeah, well _mine_ has got a straight shot to the Fireys!"

"So does mine!"

"See? They know exactly what's beyond their doors, but pretend they don't." Jareth explained to Sarah. "That's the trap here. They force you to guess."

"But now we got them arguing, so they're trying to convince us not to put their rings back."

"Exactly." Jareth nodded. "Well, look at that, you're learning. Since when do you listen to me?"

 _Around the time we stopped arguing._

"Wait, neither of the doors are without their challenges. We either deal with Bog traps, or Fierys." Hoggle pointed out.

"We deal with Fierys either way." Sarah told him.

"And they'll be easier to handle than the Bog, therefore, I vote we take the one on the left." Sarah noticed that he was _suggesting_ rather than _ordering_ now.

"The one that was deaf?"

"Yes."

"Well, there's no traps if we go that way…Hoggle, Ludo, what do you think?"

"I'm in if you're in, Sarah."

"Ludo agree."

"Alright, then it's unanimous."

Sarah and Jareth replaced the rings and Jareth knocked on his door. It swung open, slowly, revealing a large forest region. "Ladies first?"

"I can't tell if you're being polite, or using me as a guinea pig." Sarah smirked. Part of her was surprised that she was able to do that to the Goblin King.

The other part of her felt like it was totally normal, and liked being able to do it.

"Bit of both, actually." He replied, walking behind her.

"That's reassuring. "

"It wasn't supposed to be."

She laughed a little for some reason, and they walked through the jungle-like path. Leaves and twigs crunched under their feet, and they made sure not to walk into any branches. They talked for a while about just random things, as the sun began to go down once again.

"Do you think the Gargoyles have taken over this part?" Hoggle asked.

"They've most likely infected the entire Labyrinth." The King explained. "We'd better start looking from a worm hole."

They found it quickly, near the roots of a large, twisted tree. Sarah shivered at bit, as she passed through the threshold again. She greeted the Worms again, noted that Mrs. Worm was wearing _bright pink_ eyeshadow, wondered where in the world they sold makeup small enough for worms, and fed and changed Toby.

The hours melted away like marshmallows in hot chocolate. Before she knew it, the sun had completely set, and it was time to go to sleep.

"We're almost to the castle." Jareth explained. "One more night after this, and I'll stain that ridiculous pink fur with fairy blood and doll stuffing...I never thought I'd have to say a sentence like that."

Sarah smiled, and laid down with Toby, who was already asleep from all that hair-pulling, next to her.

"Still worried you won't be able to handle Rivina, Sarah?" Hoggle asked, sitting next to Ludo.

"Not really." she said. "I mean, we have a basic plan...and there's more of us, so we have a better chance. That, and Jareth's really ticked off, so, I think we got this."

"Got that right." Jareth put in.

"It's a lot easier to be brave in the face of danger when you have friends around you." The troll explained.

Knowing he was speaking from experience, she was touched. It felt good to know she could inspire her friend, and give them courage.

The floor shook a bit, as the room was filled with the loud sound of a snarling monster. Jareth and Sarah sat up, and looked at each other. "Is that a Gargoyle?"

"I'm not sure, keep quiet."

"It can't get in her anyway, right?"

"No, it can't without that embarrassing password."

"Guys…" Hoggle began. "It's Ludo, snoring."

They both looked at him, then at Ludo, who was sprawled around the floor, sleeping. Sarah laughed a little. So did Jareth.

"What's so funny?"

They laughed louder. _That was so stupid! We were like freaking out, thinking it was a monster, and it's just_ Ludo!

"You two are weird." The troll observed. "But at least you stopped arguing. In fact, you two actually got along almost all day. Good job. Good night."

The laughter passed, and exhaustion washed over Sarah. Her eyes got heavy again, and she finally gave in. Just when she was about to go to sleep, she heard Jareth mumbled something. She looked up and saw he was lying on his stomach, the crystal ball swirling in his hands. Before she could ask him what he was looking at, tiredness took her over, and she fell asleep.

She dreamt of dolls, talking doorknobs, Toby meowing, and dancing fairies. Overall, it was one of her craziest dreams ever, coming in second to the one where she was balancing pancakes on her head while a fire-breathing cat jumped through the window to get some radioactive yarn from the talking llamas in the fish tank.

She shot up, woken from another loud snore from Ludo. It had scared her so much, her whole body was awake, as well as her mind. Sarah caught her breath, and looked around. It was still pitch dark outside. She'd probably only fallen asleep for a few hours. _Darn. Now I'm wide awake. But I have to go back to sleep, or else I won't be able to get through tomorrow._ She started to lay back down, when she caught sight of the Goblin King.

He was asleep on his stomach, in an awkward position, the crystal ball still in his hand. _He must've fallen asleep while he was looking at it._ She was about to try to go back to sleep, when something occurred to her. _People tend to move around when they sleep_ , she realized, recounting the number of times she'd rolled out of her own bed. _And that crystal ball is our only way to see into that castle. It's totally exposed just in his hand. If he moves, or rolls onto his back, it could shatter._ She sat on her knees, and pondered what to do. _Maybe I should just move it, and like, put it in the baby bag for safekeeping. That way, I know nothing will happen to it. I just have to remember in the morning when I go fishing around in there for baby food._

Sarah crawled over, quietly, making sure not to disturb anyone. Tomorrow, they would be closing in on the castle. Rivina would probably be on her best game to try to keep them away. They'd have to be ready, and for that, they needed sleep.

As she got closer, she noticed that the crystal wasn't transparent. Whatever Jareth had been looking at was still going on. Sarah reached over, keeping an eye on the King to make sure he wouldn't scare her again like he had that morning. She felt the smoothness of the crystal on her fingertips, when suddenly, she felt like she was falling! Something had sucked her up, like a vacuum. Sarah closed her eyes, tight. _You're dreaming! Wake up! You're just having a weird dream, like the one with the pancakes! Wake up, Sarah! Wake up!_


	11. Chapter 11

Sarah opened her eyes, panicked, hoping to see the worm tunnel again. _It's just a dream, it's just a dream it's just a...what?_ She got to her feet, shakily, and looked around. The stone walls were decorated with free-standing torches, and candles. The ceilings were high, and a chandelier hand in the middle of the room ahead of here.

Sarah was in Jareth's castle.

"How did I...I was just…" She was totally stunned. _Wait. You're dreaming. This isn't really happening, that's not possible. Watch, just test it and you'll wake up next to Toby._ She took a deep breath, and pinched her arm _hard._ "Ow!"

 _That hurt,_ she realized. _So I'm...really awake. But how in the world did I get here? Jareth said the castle was two days away!_ Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a dreaded sound.

The clicking of heels.

 _Rivina._ Sarah thought, frozen in place. Her mind was going a mile a minute. _What do I do? I can't take her on myself! She has magic! I need to run! No, she'll see me! The I need to hide! But I'm in a_ hallway! The sound got closer, and Sarah's fears grew. She had no choice but just to get against the wall, and pretend she was part of it.

She had a perfect view of the large stairs case. A woman walked into view, and Sarah held her breath. She'd never wanted Jareth to show up so bad in her life! Dressed in a long, sky blue gown that covered her feet, Rivina…. _What?_ Sarah stared at the woman. _Who is that?_

The woman heading to the stairs was decently not Rivina. Sarah had seen in the crystal that rivina, had short, springy hair. This person had a long, thick, blond braid that went down the her lower back. Atop her head was a glittering tiara, with an odd symbol at its center: A silver spade-like shape with a golden circle in the middle.

 _That's the same symbol around Jareth's neck._ Sarah observed. _Who_ is _this woman? Did Jareth get a girlfriend, and forget to mention it? No, he would probably be worried because she'd be stuck in the castle with his sister. Maybe I should talk to her? No, no, she might be working for Rivina. But if that's the case, why is she wearing that symbol?_

The woman began to walk down the steps, her hair gliding along the banister. Suddenly, her heel snagged one of the stairs, she lost her grip on the railing, and began to fall! Sarah's breath caught, and the woman screamed.

The room was suddenly filled with the sound of thunderous wings. When Sarah looked towards the noise, here eyes widened at what she saw. An _eagle_ was soaring towards the woman at light speed! A real, live, bald eagle! It grabbed the woman around her arms, almost as if making sure not to scratch her, and lifted her off the staircase just before she was about to start tumbling down.

Sarah stared in awe as the eagle slowly lowered her to the floor. The stranger looked quite relieved, and smiled at the giant bird. Before Sarah's eyes, the eagle began to glow, and with a flash, it transformed. A man stood in its place. He had thick blond hair, like the woman, but his was much shorter, and choppy. His face was familiar to Sarah, as were his gentle brown eyes. He was dressed in a navy blue shirt, gray pants, and boots. Sarah looked back at woman, and saw that her face also looked a bit familiar, and she had sparkling blue eyes. "You're always there when I need you, aren't you, Haytham?" she smiled.

"Of course." The man grinned right back. "What sort of a King would I be if I wasn't there for my Queen?"

 _They're royalty?_ Sarah wondered. _But..._ Jareth _is_ _the_ _ruler_ _of_ _the_ _Labyrinth. This_ is _his castle isn't it? Yes, it has to be, I recognize it. Then who are_ they?!

"Where's your crown?" The Queen asked. " Doesn't it stay with you when you transform?

"I didn't feel like wearing it today, honestly." Haytham admitted. "We're not going anywhere, so what's the point? If I wear it too long, it gives me a headache."

"Oh, Haytham, you're such a child sometimes." she teased. "Speaking of which, where are the children?" She turned to the staircase and called in a singsong, "Jareth! Rivina! Come down here, if you please!"

Sarah's jaw dropped. _They're...they're his parents. This is Jareth and Rivina's mom and dad! That's why they look familiar! The eyes, and the faces! Did I …just go back in time? How did I...maybe they know! No wait, if I went back in time, then I can't interfere with anything, or it'll impact the future._

 _But how in the world did this_ happen!?

Sarah's frazzled thoughts were interrupted as she caught sight of a small girl hopping down the staircase. Her blond hair was pulled into small pigtail thanks to large pink bows. She was in a red dress, two different socks, and black shoes. When she finally got down the steps, she walked over to her mother, and hugged her. She was so small, she only made it up to the woman's knees.

 _That's her._ Sarah realized. _That's_ Rivina! _She must be, what, five years old?! This is getting creepy. How do I get out of here?! How did I_ get here?!

... _The_ _crystal! That has to be it. It's the only thing I did differently. I touched the crystal, and now I'm stuck in this illusion! Alright, Sarah, stop panicking: You know how to get out of these. Remember the ballroom illusion. You just have to break something against the walls, and you'll get out._ She reached out for the extinguished candelabra on the wall...her hand went right through it, like a ghost's.

 _What?! Why can't I grab it?!_ Then Jareth's words echoed through her mind when he was explaining the crystal ball: " _As_ _I said_ , _the_ _reason_ _I_ _made_ _it_ _was_ _for_ seeing. _That's_ _all_ _it_ _can_ _do_."

 _Then this can't be an illusion. I must be...stuck in what Jareth was looking at. And because this is just a vision of the past, I can't interfere. That's why I can't touch anything, and why no one has seen me standing over here. But why was he looking at this?_

Sarah walked closer to the three, now that she knew she was invisible. No one took notice of her. She was a ghost. She didn't exist. "Jareth!" The Queen called again. She turned to her husband. "I swear, Haytham, I don't know what goes on in this boy's head."

"Maybe nothing." Haytham joked.

"No, no, you can see it. He's always thinking. Always up in his own little world. It's like when you look at him, you can see the wheels turning in his mind."

"He's ten. Ten year olds are curious."

She looked back at the staircase. "What is he doing up there?"

"Here I come, mother!" A voice said.

 _Was that_ Jareth?! _His voice is so high! Then again, they said he was ten years old, so that's kind of normal. Whoa! I'm older than Jareth right now!_

 _...Weird._

The sound of small boots on the floor broke the silence. The Queen looked suddenly fearful. "Oh no, not again!" She stretched out her arms and ran to the stairs just as the young Jareth _jumped over the banister head first!_

Sarah caught her breath...then she remembered that he had to survive this because he was alive in the present.

"I've got you! I've got you!" The Queen shrieked, as her long braid flew behind her while she raced to her child. Jareth free falled closer and closer to the hard floor, when, in a flash of glitter, he transformed!

His mother stood there, arms still extended, staring at the small barn owl that was flying near her. Another flash of Queen gasped, and grabbed Jareth. He was smiling, proud of his accomplishment. The Queen, however, was less than pleased. " _Why_ do you have to do this to me?" she asked in an exasperated voice. "Are you trying to give mommy a heart attack?"

"No."

"Are you trying to crack your skull open?"

"No." He was still smiling.

"Then what are you trying to accomplish here?"

"Oh, relax, Evanora." King Haytham soothed. "He just got his transformation a few weeks ago, he's still trying out his wings."

"Which is exactly why he shouldn't be jumping off staircases!" She turned to her son. "Jareth, honey, I know you're excited about your new power, but you need to be more careful. You still don't have full control over it. If you tried that one day, and couldn't transform, your brains would splat all over the floor."

"Alright, Mother, I'll be safe."

"Good." She looked a bit more relieved, still holding him in her arms. "Oh, look at your hair. It's a mess from the freefall!" She took one of her hands and began to smooth out Jareth's wild mane.

"Aw, Mom, I like it this way."

"Sweetheart, you look ridiculous. Let me fix it." The Queen then proceeded to lick a few of her fingertips, and tried to defrizz his hair.

"Aw, mom, gross!"

"Oh, dear, leave the boy be." The King chipped in, smirking at the sight of his squirming son.

"Haytham, he looks like he just got out of bed."

"Well, what do you expect, he just dove off the second story."

"And we don't want people _knowing_ that, Haytham. Therefore, I'm destroying the evidence. There, that's better." She nodded, and set her son on the floor. "You're free to go, my prisoner."

Sarah watched as Jareth waited for his mother to look away, and when she did, he messed his hair up again. She couldn't help but laugh. _He's so small, and innocent-looking! Alright that last part might be a stretch, but he's so_ small!

Rivina toddler over to her brother, and raised her hands up in the air. "Pick me up!" she smiled.

He smirked right back at her. "Do I look like a horse to you?"

"Up, up, up!"

"I guess that's a 'Yes'." He scooped her up and placed her on his head. "Just don't mess up my hair."

"You already did that."

"I know, and I got it just how I want it." Jareth looked to his father. "Dad, could Rivina and I go outside?"

"Of course. It's a nice sunny day, why spend it cooped up in the castle?"

Jareth grinned, and raced towards the door, his sister bobbing on his head with an excited, "Weeeee!"

"Hold it." Evanora said sternly. He stopped in his tracks. "Let's go over the rules. If you play in the Labyrinth you have to…?"

"Hold hands."

"What do you do if you get lost?"

"Head towards the castle."

"Right. And don't go near the…?"

"Bog of Stench."

"Or?"

"Oubliettes."

"And if you go near the Fireys, make sure…"

"They understand our heads need to stay attached."

"And you're to be back inside…?"

"Before supper."

"Good." She smiled. _"Now_ you can go outside."

As Jareth darted to the door with his sister again, Sarah wondered who she should follow. _Well, they're just going to play little kids games. I think I should stick with the King and Queen. I want to know more about them._

"Why do you always have him recite that? You haven't changed the rules since he could walk."

"I want to make sure something I say to him sticks in his head. I'm telling you, Haytham, half the time we talk to him, he's not here. He's...somewhere else. And the strangest thing is, that's one of the things I love most about him. He's curious, and wants to learn."

"Good qualities for an heir to the throne."

"But I want to make sure that the important things don't just fly over his head. He's going to be King one day, whether he's ready for that, or not."

"Don't worry, dearest. When the time comes, Jareth will be a good ruler. I mean, just look at his transformation. Just as the eagle symbolizes leadership, the owl symbolizes wisdom. He's got a great mind under that mess of hair."

"What is it with that boy and his hair?"

"I'm not quite sure." He wrapped his arms around his wife. "But he got your looks."

The castle began to swirl around Sarah, and the world around her began to disappear. _Good it's over. Maybe if I'm lucky, Jareth will still be asleep, and I can pretend this never happened. Wait...what?_

The castle around her began to come back, only this time she was in the dining room rather than a hallway. _It's not over? How long is this going to go on? Is it Jareth's whole life?_

She looked around again, and saw the royal family seated at a long table. The only thing Sarah recognized on their plates was chicken. The King sat at one end, the Queen on the other, and Jareth and Rivina in between. _Alright, looks like a good amount of time has elapsed since the last vision._ Sarah observed. _Jareth looks to be in his mid-teens, and Rivina is probably nine or ten. Then again, I really stink at guessing ages._

"Does anyone else find it odd," Rivina began. "That we just let chickens roam around our palace?"

"...No." King Haytham said.

"Not really." Evanora told her.

"I just ignore them, honestly." Jareth explained.

"Besides," Haytham shrugged. "It's something to eat when we get sick of Lilac Lizard Lips and beetle tongue."

Sarah gagged.

"What's the matter with my Lips?" The Queen asked. "You said you liked them."

"I do, it's just nice to eat something different once in awhile."

"Yes, I suppose so. I can see why humans eat poultry so much, there's a lot you can do with it."

Jareth and Rivina looked at each other, curiously, then at their mother. "What's a human?" they asked in unison.

She set down her fork, and looked at the King. "You never told them?"

"I thought you did."

"Oh. Well, no matter, it isn't that important. We'll just do it now, I suppose." She looked at her children. "You two understand the concept of other worlds besides our own, don't you?" They nodded. "Good, that makes it easier. Well, one of those worlds belongs to a species known as the human race. They're very similar to us, actually."

"Except most aren't ruled by a monarchy." Haytham added.

"Then who tells them what to do?" Rivina asked.

"They choose their own leader." he explained. "And each country has their own way of doing it."

"I think the oddest way is how the Americans do it." Evanora said. "Those are the people who live in the country called the United called it a democracy. It's a very complicated process of voting, and debates, and what not. Our way is much simpler."

"Sounds like an idiotic way to run things." Rivina snipped.

Jareth however, looked captivated in the story, his eyes wide and shining. "What are they like, these humans?"

The Queen smiled at him. "Oh, Jareth, seventeen years of age, and you're still as curious as a five year old. Never lose that. Promise me."

"Say," Rivina smirked, evilly. "Jareth's almost eighteen, isn't he?"

"You of all people should know my birthday."

"Yes, dear," Haytham said. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason." Yet her smirk remained. _She's up to something. What happens at eighteen?_ "But does that mean you and Mother have started looking for...suitors?"

Jareth picked a bad time to take a drink of water, because it was now all over the table. He started coughing, and went very pale.

"Dear God, are you _choking?!"_ Evanora asked, frantic.

"Sweetheart, it was just water. I'm sure he's fine."

"It might not be the water, maybe it's the chicken! This wouldn't happen if we had Lizard Lips!"

Jareth stopped coughing, and Evanora sat back down. _"Why_ did you have to bring that up? There's over six months until I turn eighteen!"

"Well, hold on, honey, she has a point." The Queen said. "Haytham, we should probably start talking to the other kingdoms, see who's eligible."

"Isn't this my decision?" Jareth asked, panicked.

"Of course it is, son. Your mother and I simply want to see what your options are."

"I've got my whole life to find a bride, Father. Why do we have to start so soon?"

"The sooner the better." Evanora put in. "You're young and charming. You won't be that way forever."

"Exactly." King Haytham agreed. "Just look at me. You really think I looked like this when I met your mother?"

"Dad, you look fine."

"That's easy for you to say, you're not a young woman looking for love."

"Can we please stop talking about this? Mother, tell us more about humans."

"What else is there to tell?" she asked. "They're really not too interesting. Just a bunch of non-magic people living their lives."

Rivina suddenly forgot about tormenting her brother. "They aren't _magic?!"_

"Not at all."

"How barbaric." she scoffed. "They must live in squalor, and make their homes out of sticks."

"Hey!" Sarah shouted. Thankfully, no one could hear her.

"How do they survive?" Jareth asked, awestruck. "How do they go on with their daily lives without magic?"

 _He's certainly interested in humans._ Sarah saw. _Wonder why he hasn't been asking me a bunch of questions this whole time._

"If you're so curious, why don't just go see for yourself?" King Haytham asked.

Jareth was taken aback. "...What?"

"Sure, you've got wings, why not go see the world?"

"Ew." Rivina stuck up her nose. "Jareth, don't tell me you're actually _considering_ that. Why would you want to go visit such a dreadful place?"

The crystal began to swirl again, and the dining room vanished. _Alright, it's done now, right? Because sometime tonight, I need to get some sleep._

She was standing in a new room now. _Okay, I really hope this is the last one._ There was a large bed, a dresser, and a mirror. Jareth's bedroom. Sarah's night was just getting weirder and weirder.

An owl soared through the window. Jareth transformed, and she looked him over, trying to figure out how much time had passed. He looked basically the same. "Astounding." he said. "Vehicles that get you anywhere you need to be. Switches that summon light and just as easily extinguish it. I've seen these things so many times, yet I just don't understand how they function. For people who cannot perform magic, they're amazingly smart."

"Jareth?!" Evanora's voice echoed through the hall. "Is that you?"

"In here, Mother." he answered, still pondering.

The door to his room crashed open, and his frantic mom bustled inside. _"There_ you are! The whole kingdom's been searching for you! Where've you been hiding? Wait, don't tell me: The human world."

"Mother, its mind blowing, what they can accomplish without magic."

"What's _mind blowing_ is the fact that you forgot what day it was!"

"Oh, that's right, it's laundry day."

"No, you idiot!" Rivina popped her head into the room. "Today's the day you meet Princess Vulcana!"

Jareth's eyes bugged out of his head. "What?! Why didn't anyone tell me?!"

"We _did_ tell you!" the two woman shouted.

"I reminded you when you woke up!" Evanora scoffed.

"I wrote it on your hand, Goblin brain!" Rivina growled.

Jareth looked at his right hand at the smeared ink. "So you did. Must've smudged mid-flight. Well, I'm here now. When is she set to arrive again?"

"Three o'clock!"

"Alright, then, I've got plenty of time then. I left the human world at noon."

"Jareth, time works differently there!" Evanora explained, frazzled.

"What?! Well how long until she arrives?!"

Rivina raced over to the window. "She's here!"

"Curse those humans, and their ability to distract me!" Jareth looked like he was about to wet himself.

Evanora seized the moment. "Rivina, get downstairs and distract the Princess! Tell your father to schmooze the foreign King! Jareth, grab those clothes I put out for you, get dressed, and then meet me in the bathroom so I can make sure you look presentable."

The children raced to their positions. Sarah decided to use this time to go and check out this Princess Vulcana. She walked down the stairs, and saw three new people walking into the castle: A stocky man with a silver crown and bushy eyebrows, a skinny woman who looked like she'd just smelled the Bog of Stench, and a younger woman who was looking around the castle like it was an outhouse. Rivina was talking to her about the Labyrinth, and the Kings shook hands.

"Yes, yes, that's all fine and well, but can we move this along?" The Princess asked. "Where is this brother of yours? It's very rude to keep me waiting."

"I agree." her mother said. "It certainly isn't a good impression."

 _Oh, give him a_ chance, _lady!_ Sarah though, wanting nothing more than to step on both their toes. _You haven't even met him yet!_ _And why are you all dressed in black?! This isn't a_ funeral!

"Jareth, get back here and let me fix your hair!" they heard the Queen shout.

"It looks _fine_ , Mother!"

"Defying a direct order." The other Queen mumbled.

"What an insubordinate rebel." her husband agreed.

"Must I meet him?" Vulcana asked.

"Now dear, we're already here. We may as well look into this matter." her mother said.

Jareth raced down the stairs. He was going at such a speed, he nearly crashed into the Princess!

Vulcana was unphased. "Quite an entrance."

Jareth caught his breath. "What? Oh, yes, so sorry about that. You must be Princess Vulcana. Pleased to meet you."

She cleared her throat, and extended her hand. "What?" Jareth looked confused. "Oh, yes, of course." He leaned down and kissed it. Sarah gagged again. _Who stuck the hornet's nest up_ her _fanny?_

The crystal swirled. Yet Sarah remained inside it, and by the castle door.

"How utterly _ridiculous!"_ Princess Vulcana's voice rang out through the palace. She marched towards the front doors, looking furious, her parents in tow. "Creatures that play with their own heads, trolls, goblins! To think you actually expected me to be _Queen_ of such a childish kingdom!"

Jareth and his family ran into the room. "Not to mention," Vulcana continued, glaring at him. "A prince that is much _less_ than charming. More of a sarcastic annoyance than a possible suitor. In fact, I think I would wed your _troll_ before I even _considered_ you." And she stormed out of the castle.

"This kingdom is very _unfit_ for a Princess of _any kind."_ her mother scoffed. "Good _luck_ marrying _him_ off!"

"If I were you," The King told Jareth's father. "I'd get your son to refuse the throne, and pass it on to your daughter. At least she knows how to _dress!"_

"That's quite enough!" Evanora shouted, her hands on her hips.

The other Queen turned up her nose. "Do not _ever_ contact us again." They followed their daughter with a huff.

"Don't worry, Son." Haytham told him. "You know what they say: The first is the worst."

"I wanted them to leave the minute they arrived." Evanora soothed. "They said my Lizard Lips were _overdone._ Can you believe that?!"

"There's plenty of eligible princesses, Jare Bear." Rivina grinned. "One of them is sure to stick."

"Thanks, Vina. I didn't like her that much anyhow. Too serious and stuck up. I want someone who knows how to have fun."

"That's what I said when I met your mother." The King smiled.

The crystal changed the scene. Sarah watched as princess after princess arrived, and almost all of them left before the night was done. _Poor Jareth. These princesses are just horrible. Isn't there_ someone _who enjoys his sarcasm and wit?_


	12. Chapter 12

Again, the crystal moved scenes. Sarah was now standing in the garden. There were all sorts of amazing plants and flowers she'd never seen before, but that's not what she was focusing on. King Haytham and Queen Evanora were strolling down one of the garden paths, looking very concerned. She followed closely behind, wanting to know what was going on.

They walked in silence, until King Haytham finally broke it. "Well...that's it." His voice had lost its joy and humor, and now had the sounds of sadness and anxiety. "Princess Willamont was the last eligible princess. What do we do now?"

Sarah forgot that they couldn't hear here. "What? You're telling me that not _one_ princess hit it off with Jareth? Look, he's kind of a jerk at times, and he's stubborn, and can be a bit much. And of course, I wouldn't even _think_ about" Third gag of the night. "marrying Jareth. But these princesses aren't giving him a fair chance! You can't judge him by the way he looks, or just the first few minutes you meet him. You have to get to know him, you have to talk to him, because he's not…" She stopped dead in her tracks. "He's...not that bad."

 _But that's just what you did._ She realized. _You met Jareth once before, and up until the Escher Room, those meetings were only a few minutes at a time. Yet, you labeled him a villain, and a psycho bent on revenge. You thought he was outside your window the other day! Sometimes owls are just owls, Sarah!_

 _Well, you can't blame yourself! He stole your brother!_

 _He didn't_ steal _him. You_ asked _him to be taken, and he took him! He did what you asked!_

 _I didn't_ mean it!

 _Then be careful what you wish for! He wasn't the enemy!_ You were! _You were a stubborn little brat who didn't know how to make a baby stop crying. If he hadn't done what you asked for, you'd_ still _be that way._

 _...Hey...that's a good point. Without Jareth, I wouldn't have met Ludo, Hoggle, or Didymus. And Toby would still be my worst enemy, with his sidekick, Karen. Wow. Guess he's not really my worst enemy after all._

 _Maybe he never was._

With this in mind, Sarah continued to listen to the King and Queen. "We can't let him pass the throne to Rivina." Haytham said. "Rivina isn't fit to rule. I love my children equally. They will always hold a place in my heart, as will you, my Queen. But she is too close-minded. Rivina makes quick decisions, without thinking them through all the way, or contemplating the consequences. Jareth is wise beyond his years."

"Are you saying that because he's an owl?"

"I'm saying it because I know it's true. You told me years ago that when you look at him, you can see him think. We both agreed that that was a great quality for a ruler. And that's not the only one he possesses. He is brave, and good in battle. He calculates step nine while performing step two. Rivina does not strategize, she lives in the moment, and many times, does not succeed. No, Jareth _has_ to rule. Rivina will be an advisor. Someone to help him when he is unsure."

"I agree. Rivina can do many great things, and I know she will. But she cannot rule the kingdom."

"Jareth can't do this alone though. He needs someone to be at his side, someone more than his sister. He needs a Queen."

"What are we supposed to do, Haytham?" The Queen asked. "Force him to marry one of those sour, stuck up princesses and put up with her for thousands of years? I can't do that. I married you because I loved you. That's what I want for him. To be happy."

"As do I." Haytham stopped in his tracks. "That settles it then. There's only one option left."

"What?"

"The kingdom beyond the Out of Bounds. They're at war, and have asked other kingdoms to join them in battle."

"They're not our allies."

"No, but this could be the chance to make it so. Besides…" He looked at the gravel. "They have a daughter close to Jareth's age. If I fight for them, we could arrange a meeting of the two, and perhaps something will come of it."

Evanora was shocked. "But what if it doesn't? Haytham, this war will be _brutal._ You risk your life on a _chance._ "

He looked up. "Yes, it is a chance. But it's the last chance to make sure that my son is happy, and taken care of. If I don't take it, then I can't call myself his father…"

Sarah was both shocked and touched. Her own father never paid much attention to her. He was always busy with work, or Toby, or Karen. To see Kind Haytham willing to go into a war just to make sure Jareth was happy was...astounding. He truly was an eagle.

"But, dear…" She took his hands. Their eyes met.

"Don't try to talk me out of it, Evanora."

"I know better." she told him, reluctantly. "When will you leave?"

"Tonight. It's a long journey."

"I'll tell the children."

"No, let me, dearest. I want them to understand."

She nodded slowly, and they walked on. Sarah looked around again, expecting the crystal to bring her somewhere else. But it didn't.

She looked at the King and Queen, but they just kept walking. Suddenly, someone else caught her eye. _Oh no, I bet it's Jareth! He knows what his dad is going to do!_ But she was wrong. Things were about to get much worse.

Rivina walked around the rose wall where she'd been eavesdropping. Her face was one of shock, and anger. "So…" she began."Jareth will be a better ruler, hmm? And I am not fit. Well...I see how it is. Jareth has all the good qualities of a King, and I have none of a Queen. How nice. Thank you, beloved family, for showing me the truth." Sarah looked at the King and Queen. But they were too far along to even know Rivina was there. "And now, Father's going onto the _battlefield_ because Jareth cannot find a good wife. Well, _I_ think Jareth is shaping up to be a _terrible_ ruler. I mean, really, whenever he needs to make a decision, he runs to the Wise Man. That old coot. And although _some_ may think that makes him 'open-minded', and shows he 'thinks his ideas through', I think it means he's insecure, and a wimp. A real ruler has to know how to take _control._ That's what I do best! Who cares what Mother and Father say?! I'm the better ruler! And Jareth _will_ pass the throne to me, if it's the last thing I do!"

Finally, the crystal ball destroyed the scene, and a new one began to appear. _That was it. Right there, she started to change. She stopped caring about what other people thought. The only one who mattered was her. And she wants the throne. But she wants Jareth to_ willingly _give it to her. Now she's taken it by force. Something else happened. I can feel it._

Sarah was now standing in the throne room again, watching as Evanora paced in front of four thrones. "Please be alright. Please be alright. I know you're alright, Haytham. Just come home soon."

There was a knock at the door. The Queen looked up, hopefully.

"Is it him?" Rivina called from the stairs. She ran down, Jareth right behind her. "I'll get it, Jare Bear." She ran to the front door, and opened it, smiling.

 _Something's up._ Sarah realized. _Why would the King knock on his own door?_

Rivina's face flushed. She frowned, talked with the person at the door, thanked him, and closed it. Jareth and Evanora looked confused and fearful. They had reason to be.

She turned around, tears welling up in her eyes. In her arms, she held two items: A sword with an eagle for a hilt, and a crown. A note was attached, written in rushed writing:

 _These items were recovered near the body of the fallen King Haytham of the Labyrinth. The sword was a few feet away. He had tossed the crown in battle, for it seemed to hurt his head. We regret to inform you that the royal family, including its princess, was also killed._

Evanora gasped, and fell to the floor. Jareth got down beside her, his own tears quietly running down his face. A lump formed in Sarah's throat. Perhaps it was because of King Haytham's sacrifice. Maybe it was because of the grief his family now had to deal with. Or the fact that she was watching the Goblin King...watching _Jareth_ cry, something that, four months ago, never seemed possible.

"She's fainted." he said, trying to revive her. "Rivina, don't just stand there, get some water, or something!"

She didn't move. She just stared at him.

"Rivina, _please,_ this is difficult for both of us, but I can't wake her!"

"...You…"

Sarah knew exactly what was going through her head. "No." Again, she forgot she wasn't really there. " I know you're upset, but it's not his fault."

"... _You."_

"Rivina, don't do this!" she shouted. "He doesn't know! It was your father's choice to go! Jareth didn't do anything!"

"This is because of you."

Evanora started to come to, causing Jareth to focus on his sister. "What?"

"Don't!" Sarah wanted so much to be able to stop this.

Rivina dropped the items, and began to walk towards him. He got to his feet. "He did this because you couldn't find a wife." she growled, her sadness having turned to boiling fury.

"Vina, you're upset. I'm upset, this is a devastating blow to the whole kingdom. You're hurt, I understand, but I have no idea what you're talking about."

"That kingdom he was defending had a princess! An unmarried royal around your age! And Father got it in his head that if he helped them, they could get the two of you _married!_ And now he's _dead!"_

"Rivina…." The Queen slowly got up. "Stop. You're father didn't want him to know. I don't know how you know this, but you shouldn't. Neither of you will understand."

Jareth's odd colored eyes were full of sudden pain. "Then this is _true?!"_

"Jareth, Rivina, please, try to compose yourselves. We should be altering the kingdom, not arguing."

"This is because of _you!"_ Rivina shouted. "If you could've settled for one of those suitors, he'd still be here! What sort of prince can't get a girl?! This is proof that you will not be a good ruler! You have no idea what you're doing! Owl of _wisdom?!_ I would think a wise person would do his best not to get his father _killed!"_

"I...I didn't know…"

"Do you know _anything?!"_

Ouch.

"Because you _do_ realize what this means, don't you?!" Rivina snapped. "Queen or not, you're the new bloody King! Are you prepared for _that_ , genius?! Ready to make all the decisions?!"

"...I…."

"That's what I thought. Father thought you'd be a great ruler. Said you had great qualities for a King. Look where that got him. How are you supposed to convince a kingdom to follow you when you can't even convince a girl to marry you? Ever think of that...Jare Bear?"

 _"_ _Rivina!"_ The Queen sobbed. "How could you?! Jareth, baby, don't…"

An owl soared out the window.


	13. Chapter 13

"Have you searched the Bog of Stench?"

"Yes, my Queen. He wasn't there." The goblin told her.

"Well, I _figured_ that! What about the oubliettes?"

"I checked every one meself." said a familiar voice. Sarah turned in shock to see a younger Hoggle. His hair was light brown, but the same length. His face was youthful, and much less lined. "All were empty."

"Where could that boy _be?"_ Evanora paced back and forth. "He wasn't with the Wise Man, or his old teenage friends the Fireys, not in the Bog, the oubliettes, or _anywhere_ in the Labyrinth! He's been gone for a _week!"_

"I feel horrible." a woman said.

"You _should,_ Rivina! What you said to your brother was _unacceptable!_ He just became the King, and you already got him thinking he's atrocious at it! Jareth can be a great ruler if we _support him."_

"I'll apologize when he gets back."

"You'd better. And have you looked into that fairy infestation?"

"Yes, Mother. I took care of it."

"Good."

 _She's probably hiding them in her room._ Sarah growled.

"Er…your Highness?" Hoggle looked towards the window. A bird was soaring through the sky.

The Queen gasped, and smiled. "He's returned. Heading towards his room! Oh, I swear, this boy is going to give me gray hair." She raced up the stairs, Sarah only steps behind. Evanora stopped at the door, took a deep breath, and opened the door. "Jareth?"

He was leaning against the wall, staring out the window with a glass eyed look. Evanora walked over to him.

"...You told the kingdom?" he asked quietly, not looking at her.

"Yes. They've been waiting for their new King to return. You missed the funeral."

"I couldn't look at him again. Especially not in that state."

"I understand. Your sister wants to apologize for what she said. I hope you didn't listen to any of that. She was upset."

"Because I can't get a wife."

"No, baby." Sarah felt a bit awkward hearing Jareth being called "baby". "Look at me."

He didn't move.

"Jareth, _look_ at me." He turned to her. "This is _not_ because of you. Your father wanted to make sure you were happy. He wanted to make sure you and your sister had everything we had, and then some. Marrying a princess that was a total snob would've done the opposite. You would've been miserable for the rest of your life, and your father would've been forced to sit there and watch. He couldn't let that happen. He wanted to try everything he could. Even if it meant...this. He knew what he was getting into, honey, and he was okay with it."

"Now he's left me the king."

"Jareth, I know you're scared. But you can do this. You really can. I'm going to help you, sweetheart. Besides, you've been preparing for this almost all your life. You're ready. You just have to believe you are."

They looked at each other for a while, when Evanora suddenly smirked. "I know what you're afraid of."

"What?"

"You think that crown's going to mess up your hair."

Jareth smiled a little.

"Well, don't you worry, because I already thought of that while you were away." She reached into her pocket. "See, kings don't _have_ to wear a crown. They just have to wear something with the family crest, like my tiara."

 _So_ that's _what that symbol is! His family crest._

She held out a necklace. "See? Now you don't have to worry about messing your hair up. You can just slip this around your neck. And as long as you have it on, you've got the whole family along with you. Right next to your heart."

The scene shifted again for what felt like the thousandth time. Sarah was in the throne room once more. King Haytham's throne was gone. Rivina and Jareth were seated in theirs, both in deep thought. Rivina had apologized. Jareth was wearing the necklace, which told Sarah he had been coronated, and was now the ruler of the Labyrinth.

 _"_ _I knew it!"_

The two rose from their thrones as Queen Evanora ran down the stairs. "Careful, Mother, you always fall." Rivina cautioned.

She raced up to Jareth. "I knew it. I knew you would do this to me."

"Do what?"

 _"_ _This."_ She held up a strand of hair, smiling. "Gray hair! I'm only six hundred!"

"And?"

"And it's because of _you_ jumping off staircases, running away, and driving me coo coo crazy!" She laughed, and then suddenly went into a coughing fit.

"Mother, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. But you owe me for this."

"...Okay."

Scenes of the next few months flickered before Sarah's eyes. Evanora coughing, retching, vomiting, and getting horribly dizzy. Jareth's words popped into her head: _"We can still die from monsters, starvation, blood loss, or...sickness."_

 _No...she can't be...she's isn't going to….oh no._

Sarah stared in horror as Jareth and Rivina walked into the castle. Rivina was silently crying, and Jareth looked like a zombie: glassy eyes, pale skin, blank expression. Both were dressed in black.

 _She's dead. His mom died, too…_

She gasped, and tears came to her eyes when she got a better look at Jareth.

His hair was straight, neat, and pulled back in a short ponytail. For once, it was exactly like his mother wanted it.

Memories of Sarah's own past began to bubble up again. She bit her lip, trying not to cry. They were so different, her parents and Jareth's. So different. It was such a shame he'd had to lose them both in such horrible ways. _Now it's just him and his sister. God, that's not good. She's plotting against him, and he thinks she's the only one he can trust. She's going to take advantage of that. She's going to manipulate him. I can feel it._

And she was right.

The setting twisted to show Jareth lounging in his small throne. Only two remained. Sarah noted that a few hundred years must've passed, since he looked very close to the way he did in the present. Jareth was even dressed in the same clothes she'd first seen him in. He was tapping a thin sword on the end of it, his face showing his deep thought.

"Jare Bear, Jare Bear, Jare Bear, _Jare Bear!"_

The sword jumped a little in his hand. Rivina ran over, dressed in a giant swan dress. It was covered in feathers, and she had the neck and head draped over her shoulders. She looked down at him, a paper in hand and a smile on her face. "What?" Jareth asked. "What's so import….bloody Hell, what are you wearing?"

"Never mind that, brother of mine, read this!" She thrust the paper at him. He took it, and read it over quickly. "Do you realize what this means?!" She continued. "A kingdom far, far off, is willing to become our ally! And not only that, but they've made it worth your while! The choice of any of their _six princesses_ in marriage!"

He was quiet for a while.

"What's the matter?" she asked, the job draining from her face.

Jareth got to his feet. "...This kingdom is far beyond the Out of Bounds. It would take a week just to get there. I'd be gone for nearly a month! Who would look after the Labyrinth?"

"Well, to be honest, Jare...you don't really do much. You basically just sit in your throne, thinking, and check up on everything with your systems every now and again."

"Yes, but I'm here if something goes wrong." he explained. "Like…" He started to snap his gloved hand. "Like..a fire extinguisher!"

"A what? Oh...one of those human devices. The spray that kills flame."

"Exactly. It's always there, hanging on the wall, doing nothing. But if and when there's a fire, you know where it is."

"You and your humans. I've never understood why you enjoy them so much. They're inferior. And obnoxiously similar to us. It's like they think they're better than us, but they really aren't."

"Okay, first, they can't think that because they don't know we exist. And second, focus on the task at hand. As good as this offer is, I can't just get up and leave the kingdom."

"Well...you know, Jare Bear…"

 _Oh no. Here it comes._

"Call me crazy…"

"You're crazy!" Sarah shouted.

"But... _I_ could watch the kingdom while you're away."

Jareth studied her, considering the idea.

"Jareth, think about it." She walked over to him and placed her hands on his arms, looking up at him. She was only a head shorter than him in heels. "This may be your last chance to find a wife. You're over _two hundred years old._ Mother and Father would've wanted you to do this. To try and be happy again."

 _She played the parent card!_

He looked at her, and sighed, smirking. "Alright. I'll go on one condition."

"Anything."

"Don't wear this dress anymore."

 _No! Oh my God, this is that one time the Wise Man told me about! The last time Rivina had control!_ She watched in horror as Jareth replied to the kingdom, and prepared to be on his way.

"Now, make sure to be your adorable, charming self." his sister instructed. "Sign the peace treaty, get drunk with the King, but not that drunk, and don't come back without my new sister-in-law, got it?"

"And you don't let the Fireys taken someone's head off, don't fall in the Bog, and don't let the goblins get drunk out of their minds. They're really the only subjects that listen to me. Oh, yes, and have you looked into that fairy infestation?"

"I try and try to stop them, yet they continue to multiply. But don't you worry, you just work on finding love. See you in a month or so." They hugged. Something told Sarah it would be the last time they did so.

Jareth flew off, and Rivina waved until he was out of sight. Then she turned from Jekyll to Hyde. "Oh, my little friends," she sang. "You can come out of hiding now."

A swarm of fairies flew down the steps and surrounded their "princess". "Finally." Rivina grinned. "The Fairy Princess is about to become the Fairy _Queen._ With Jareth gone on that trip, I can finally do what I want with the Labyrinth. I can mold it in a way that will not only suit me, but improve it. _Then_ we'll see who's 'not fit for the throne'. And when Jareth gets back, he'll see what a fantastic job I've done, and pass the throne to me _permanently!"_ She laughed like a crazy woman, sending shivers up Sarah.

The month flashed by in the blink of an eye. Rivina sat at a desk covered with books. "Come on, these things can't be that hard to create." A fairy came over and buzzed in her ear. "What? Can't you see I'm busy here?" It spoke with some odd jingling noises. Rivina nearly jumped out of her chair. _"What? What do you mean 'he's coming'?! He's not due back for another week! How close is he?!...AT THE FRONT DOOR?!"_

She raced down the stairs to see Jareth standing in the throne room. Rivina plastered on a pleasant smile. "Jare Bear!" She skidded up to him, and looked around. "Where is she? How old is she? Is she pretty?"

"First of all, half of the princesses were already _married,_ so this offer wasn't as honest as we believed. And the other _three_ were young enough to be my _daughters."_

"...Eeww."

"Exactly!"

"...Well...it was a good shot. I mean, if nothing else, you got some fresh air."

"Don't try to sugarcoat it. I signed a piece of paper that said they wouldn't blown us up, and came home. Speaking of which, how have things been around here? What've you been up to?"

"Up to? Oh, nothing. Just..just...well, I did come up with a few ideas, which, as your loyal advisor, I want to run past you."

She lead him to her workplace, the book she'd been reading still wide open. "You know, Jare, we're royals."

"I couldn't tell by the thrones and castle."

"Hardy hard har, Mr. Comedian. I'm saying that we should, you know, assert ourselves as such."

"...How so?"

"Well, you said it yourself, you don't do much. And because of that, the kingdom believes it can do whatever it wants."

"Well, it can, as long as it's not illegal."

"Yes, but we should really crack the whip a little more, don't you think? Show them you exist. That they have a leader they need to respect, and obey upon command. You said it yourself, the goblins are the only ones who really do that."

"Well that's because they're expendable drunks that really don't have much else to do."

"My point!"

"...Well...I suppose. What did you have in mind?"

"Well...I'm uh, still tinkering with some ideas. But here I am, talking about politics, when you had a hard few weeks. What do you say you and I go make some tea, and talk. You know, I really thought this time was gonna work, Jare Bear. Princess Molinda seemed like a good match for you." Rivina cringed. _What? What did she say?_ Sarah wondered.

"Actually, I thought so too, but she was one of the married ones, and I'm not that kind of…wait, how did you know her name? The letter never specified, it only said 'six princesses'."

"Well, I...I may have…"

Jareth's eyes widened. So did Sarah's. "Did you...did you set this entire thing up?"

"...In a way." She shifted like a rat in a trap. "I may've sent a letter to that kingdom. See, he wanted his three youngest married, and didn't like the men his oldest were we'd to. So I told him you were available, and we sort of...worked it out."

"Rivina, why didn't you tell me? You know I don't like people meddling in my relationships! Not after Father!"

"I wasn't _meddling_ , I was...helping. It was a good chance for you."

"So you knew about the ages and marriages and _still_ wanted me to go?!" Sarah saw the wheels turning in Jareth's head. He was catching on.

"Age is just a number. And marriage is just a promise."

"Rivina, what if something happened here while you sent me on this little wild goose chase?!"

"Nothing happened, Jare!"

"But it could've, and you would've been respos…" His voice trailed off. Something had caught his eye. He walked over to her desk, fearfully.

Rivina followed his gaze, and gasped. She lunged for the open book, but her brother was too fast. He grabbed it, and stared at the pages with horror. "What...is this?"

"Nothing, Jare Bear, nothing! It, it was just one of my ideas! I thought it would help!"

"This is a monster."

"No, no, it's a Gargoyle. I, well, I just thought since I should be able to summon them, we may as well use them."

"For _what?!_ They're carnivorous beasts that won't stop until they've gotten their prey!"

"But they only hunt at night! Sunlight turns them into solid stone."

"Oh, that's reassuring! We just caution the kingdom to never go out after sunset ever again, or they risk being eaten alive! Great idea, Vina!"

"Jareth, listen! I just thought it would be good to have something on our side!"

"What _side?!"_

"If the subjects were to revolt, we'd need something to stop them! These creatures are just like...security guards."

Jareth looked appalled.

"Just something to...ward off potential threats, Jare."

"...So you're going to scare the kingdom into submission. When in the history of the Labyrinth have our subjects _ever_ even _thought_ of betraying us?!"

"Never, but-"

"Exactly! This is an uncontrollable monster that doesn't listen to reason! And you're telling me you want to release this thing into the Labyrinth?!" He slammed the book on the desk. A cloud of dust flooded the air. It sparkled a bit, which was very unusual. Jareth looked at it, confused.

"Funny how much dust can accumulate over just a few weeks, huh?" Rivina asked, nervously.

"That's not regular dust."

"What? Of course it is, Jare. Look, you've had a hard day. Why don't you just go downstairs and relax a while? We can sort all this out-" Jareth held up a hand to silence her. He swept a finger across the desk. Glittering dust coated his black glove.

"This is fairy dust. And it's all over this room. Rivina, I thought Mother asked you years ago to take care of this."

" She did, but like I told you, it's very hard. I'm trying."

Sarah watched as Jareth's face suddenly drained. _He's putting the pieces together._ Jareth glanced at Rivina, and raced out of the room. Both Sarah and Rivina followed quickly. He ran into a room Sarah hadn't seen before. Judging by the pink walls, weird clothes, and creepy dolls, she figured it was Rivina's bedroom. Jareth swept a hand across her dresser. More sparkling dust. "Everywhere you seem to be, fairy dust seems to accumulate. Does that seem odd to you?"

"Well...not _that_ odd. It probably...blows around. She smiled, nervously.

"Where are they, Vina?"

"They who?"

"Don't try to play games."

"...Most likely...playing in the Labyrinth."

"You allow them to roam free in the kingdom?!"

"They need to stretch their wings! I don't see why everyone is against them!"

"Rivina, they bite! And too many fairy bites can be life threatening!"

"But they only bite if they feel threatened."

"They're _pests,_ Vina. Like...weeds in a garden. You need to get rid of them before they consume all the other plants."

"But some weeds are pretty!"

"That doesn't take away from the fact that they're weeds."

"Oh, so if I like something, it's a weed, but if _you_ like it, it's a flower!"

"That's not what I'm saying at all!"

"Then why do you get to keep your goblins?!"

"Because they don't bite, and infest the kingdom!"

"The fairies are beautiful creatures with a little attitude, like me! If you ask me, we should get rid over everything else! Like that disgusting troll, or those disturbed Fireys, or the Bog of Stench! We need to purge the Labyrinth of these horrible things, and mold it into something beautiful!"

 _Uh oh. She said too much._

Her brother was taken aback. "...Purge it? Rivina, what are you talking about? You judge on appearance. The kingdom has been nothing but loyal in all its existence, and you just want to _erase_ it, and start all over?!" Jareth went pale. "...The monsters."

"Gargoyles."

"...That's why you want to create them. You're going to release them on the kingdom, until it's destroyed, leaving only what you see fit. That's why you wanted me out of the way for a month. You wanted to put your plan into place before I even knew about it. This whole thing was a plot."

"Jare, just listen! This is a good idea! You just don't understand! I'm making the Labyrinth better! It's time we got rid of those revolting, drunken goblins, the weird troll, and...well, really everything. We need to start over."

"What's the matter with how it is?! You just don't like it because it's not full of glitter and sequins! This is our home! This is the kingdom Mother and Father created and respected! They wouldn't want us to unleash fairies and _monsters_ on innocent subjects!"

Rivina had gone off the deep end. "Who cares what Mother and Father would've wanted?! _They're dead!_ _And it's your fault!"_

Time stood still. Jareth and Rivina just stared at each other, anger in both of their eyes. Answer she just kept going. "It's your fault Father died in that war, even though he was too stupid to know better! He didn't do anything during his rule either! And Mother soon followed because watching you rule probably broke her heart! They always said you would be a great ruler, and that I wasn't fit to rule, but _look where we're at now!_ You don't do anything!"

"You don't need to if nothing is wrong! Try to fix something that isn't broken, and you risk breaking it!"

"I have great ideas! This may be our home, but it's time for some housecleaning! We can be a greater, stronger, more _powerful_ kingdom if you'd just _get out of my way!"_

"...So that's what it all books down to. Power. You want me to give you the throne."

"I never said that. Don't put words in my mouth!"

"You don't have to. I can see it now. Maybe it was always there, and I just never noticed.

"All these years, you've been planning out a way to try to convince me to make you the ruler. All the time you were advising me, you were really just luring me into a trap. And this was it. You got me out of the castle, and if I hadn't come back early, you may've found a way to create those beasts and wipe out the entire kingdom. You really don't think your plans through, Vina. How did you expect to control these things? Exactly, you didn't. You were just going to let them run rampant.

"And you've been harboring the fairies. Mother told you so long ago to get rid of them. You disobeyed her. You deceived her. She never should've trusted you."

"Don't try to make me the bad guy here, I am your _sister."_

"And now you've deceived me. So here I am, wondering if I should've ever trusted you."

"You know something, _Jare Bear?_ They shouldn't have trusted you either. You betrayed them just as much as I did. They thought you would be great, yet you do _nothing_! You're not a King, you're a _servant_ to these subjects! You should've taken _control!_ You…" She looked at him with disgust. "You're pathetic. If I were Queen, I'd make something of myself. I would do it _right._ "

Jareth advanced. "If you think I'm just going to stand here and watch as you destroy our parent's kingdom, you're losing it. Not while I'm around, Rivina!"

She advanced right back and looked up at him. "Then I'll just have to make sure you're not around."

They stared at each other again. Sarah's jaw had been hanging open for the last ten minutes.

"You want me to take control, Vina? You want me to order something? Very well."

 _This is starting to sound like the Jareth I know._ The second she thought it, the second Sarah wanted the crystal to start over, so she could see the young, smiling Prince jump off the stairs into his mother's arms.

"As your older brother and King, I order to you to get your clothes, and get out."

"You banish your own blood!"

"Well since I already destroyed this much of the family, why not?! Isn't that what you said, _Vina?_ That I was our parents undoing?!"

"Fine! So be it! Have it your way, as always! But mark my words, I will return for the throne, and I will have an _army_ at my side when I do!"

"In that case, I hereby banish you to the Out of Bounds! For eternity!"

Rivina's eyes widened, but she composed herself quickly. "Very well. Finally, you show some initiative. No need to call your loyal goblin guards, I'll leave quietly. But remember this, oh, brother of mine: Just like you cannot get rid of the fairies, you cannot get rid of me. I'll be back. And when I do, I'll find your weak spot. You'll be lucky if I keep you as a court jester."

"Get! Out!"

And she did. Rivina left quietly, just as she'd said. The sound of her heels slowly died. Jareth watched as she walked out of his life, probably trying to get it through his head that it was for the best. Best for the kingdom, and himself. He stood there long after she had gone. One of the goblins grew concerned.

"Your Majesty?" he grumbled. "Er...what now?"

Sarah watched as something strange happened. Something in his eyes. She couldn't tell what it was. Pain? Anger? Sorrow? Whatever it was, it made an impact. "What do you think you should do?!" he shouted. "Get her throne out of here! Clear out her room! Get the troll at the front gates on this fairy issue! And clean up this _chicken crap! Honestly!"_

Sarah followed close behind as Jareth went up the stairs and down the hall. He paused suddenly. _Why is he stopping?_ She looked around for some kind of clue of what was going to happen.

On Jareth's right was a large painting of the royal family. King Haytham had a hand on Jareth's shoulder, Queen Evanora had her hair up in a bun, and Rivina held her brother's hand. Sarah looked back at Jareth and gasped when she saw what he was reaching for. "Jareth, don't!"

He drew his sword from his side and slashed the painting. Jareth stood there, breathing heavily, eyes shut tight with the sword still stuck in the picture. _He's a mess. He's an absolute mess._ Sarah thought, sympathetically. _He's lost everything._

She looked at Jareth again, and what she saw horrified her. Jareth opened his eyes. The boy who jumped off staircases was gone. As was the teenager who looked up this father. Not to mention the man who wanted so much to know what to do now that he had the throne.

All that remained...was the Goblin King.

He removed the sword, shouted "One of you idiots get rid of this painting!", walked to his bedroom door, and slammed it shut. The second he did, Sarah felt an invisible force pulling her back as the image dissapeared for the final time.

When she opened her eyes again, she was back in the wormhole. The crystal was in her hand, but out of shock, she gripped the smooth surface too hard, and it slipped. It bounced across the floor lightly, until it was stopped...by a heeled boot.

Jareth kicked the crystal up into his hands and looked down at her. He didn't look too pleased.


	14. Chapter 14

"Sarah!" Hoggle said. "We got so worried! Jareth woke up and saw you were gone! How did you get in the crystal?! Are you okay?!"

"Oh, quit fawning over her! She's bloody fine!" Jareth sneered. "Why did you even have this crystal?! That's what I want to know!"

"I told you to stay out of my personal life, and you _literally_ went inside of it!"

"I, I didn't mean to." she stammered.

"Oh, well I guess that just makes this whole thing alright, now doesn't it?!"

"It was an accident, and you know it!" Hoggle shot back.

"I don't _care_ if it was an accident, I care about the fact that she now knows my life story! What were you doing with the crystal?!"

"I didn't want it to get broken, so I figured I would put it my backpack."

"Don't you know that it only listens to the person who made it?! You touched it, it didn't recognize you, therefore it sucked you inside!"

"You never told me that."

"Haven't you ever wondered how you got into the ballroom?!"

"I don't remember all of that! I was drugged out of my mind! I only get pieces."

"You saw everything didn't you?! _Didn't you?!"_

"I-"

"You saw my _childhood!_ You saw Rivina as she used to be! You saw those stupid _princesses!_ And...and my mother and father." He glared at her.

"Jareth, I'm sorry, alright? I didn't know how to get out!"

"You shouldn't have been in there in the first place!"

"I was just trying to protect your crystal! That's the only way we can keep tabs on Vina. I mean _Ri_ vina!"

"My God! You little...I ought to...gaaahh!"

Toby started crying again. Hoggle spoke up. "Look, we can't change what's already happened. You're upset, and she feels bad, but we have bigger things to worry about right now. We should all try to get back to sleep, or else we're no match for Rivina."

"Uh huh." Ludo nodded.

Sarah looked at Jareth, who still looked like he was going to explode, then crawled over to Toby, and tried to quiet him. There was nothing she could do to fix what had happened. Not tonight, at least. She laid down again, feeling pretty horrible. _It was an accident. You were trying to help. Why was he looking at that anyway? Watching his parents die isn't going to help us stop his sister._

 _Unless...it was more than that. Maybe he didn't want to see all those bad things...but the good things. The way things used to be. With Rivina around again, he probably wants to know that he can stop her, and the only way to feel that way was to remember when his family was always there. You can understand that, Sarah._

 _After all, it's been eleven years, and you still miss your…_

She fell asleep before she could finish her thought.

The next morning had been the quietest. Jareth was still there when they woke up again, which surprised Sarah a little. Part of her had thought he'd have preferred going on his own and taking his chances with the Gargoyles than face the new awkwardness that surrounded the group now. When they started back up on the journey, he stayed a good distance in front of the rest of them.

"He's not mad at you." Hoggle told her, abruptly. "It wasn't your fault. He's just...angry with the situation. Jareth's a pretty secretive guy, who likes knowing the things we don't. You seeing the main points of his life is sort of like if he read your diary. Just let him be for a while, until he cools off. Then it'll be better."

And she did. Neither of them spoke to each other the entire day. In fact, it was mainly just walking. Except for the fact that they didn't see a single Firey. "Maybe the door knocker was wrong, and they're down the other path." Hoggle posed.

"She always hated them, so they're most likely in the dungeons with my goblins." Jareth explained, not looking at any of them. It was the only thing he said that whole day. After that, it was sort of a blur to Sarah.

Night came quickly, and Sarah was glad it did. Things couldn't get awkward if they were all sleeping. Thankfully, Toby didn't put up a fight. _Good, because I don't think Jareth feels like singing at the moment._

She laid awake for a while, and just sort of thought. She'd come into this wanting to throw Jareth into Bog...but now…

 _I thought I knew everything. About the Labyrinth, and about him. But I really didn't._

 _Not at all._

Eventually, she fell asleep, but it didn't last long. Just like the night before Sarah woke up in the middle of the night. The only difference was that it wasn't Ludo this time, but Sarah's own mind. _Just go back to sleep. Everything will be better tomorrow._ She rolled onto her side, and wrapped her arms around...nothing.

Sarah shot back up. _Where is he? He was sleeping right next to me!_ "Toby?" she whispered. "Toby?!" She looked around, frantically. _He's not here! But that must mean….oh no!_ She got on her feet, and started to race towards the tunnel exit, when she tripped, and fell onto her stomach.

"Ouch!" Jareth sat up. "What is it with you and falling on me?"

"Toby's gone, he must've crawled out of the hole, the sun hasn't come up, and the Gargoyles are out." she whispered frantically. She got up, and ran through the tunnel. The Labyrinth was pitch black. _How am I going to find Toby like this? I gotta find him before those monsters do._

"Didn't think to grab the lantern Hinkle had, now did you?" Jareth asked, walking in front of her.

"...You're coming with me?"

"No, I'm just going to go back to sleep while you go get yourself killed, and Toby is adopted by Gargoyles. Or worse, my sister."

"...You said his name."

"You told me to. How fast can he walk?"

Sarah sighed with relief. She really didn't want to do this by herself, but didn't want to wake anyone else up. And this was a good sign that Jareth had started to deal with Sarah knowing everything. "Not very fast at all. He usually takes a few steps, and falls right back down."

"Then he's crawling." Jareth lowered the lantern, illuminating the ground. Toby's little hand prints and crawl marks were still visible. "We can follow these, and be back before the stupid beasts even know we were out. Keep up with me, because if you fall behind, I'm not stopping."

"Let's get going."

They both broke into a run, Jareth slightly in the lead with the lantern. "He can't have gotten that far. He's a baby." Sarah whispered, trying to reassure herself.

"You'd be surprised how fast a curious can go." The King mumbled back. "You need to quit losing this kid."

"Hey, I didn't lose him before, you took him."

"You asked me to."

Right, but you're saying I lost him. I knew where he was the whole time, I just had to get there. And it's not like I expected you to actually _show up_. It was just something I said. When I was younger, I wished for Peter Pan to take me to Neverland. And you know what happened? Nothing."

"Peter Pan is a fictional character."

Sarah was about to retort that she'd thought the whole Labyrinth was fictional as well, when Jareth ducked down the left path. "Follow the hand prints, Sarah." he reminded her. She caught back up, and he continued. "It's a good thing he went this way. If he'd gone straight, he would've landed in an oubliette."

"You know where they are, too?"

"Some of them. His prints are getting darker, we're getting close."

"Wow, he's been out here for a long time. Wait, do you hear that?" She stopped in her tracks. "...I hear him! He's crying!"

"That's going to attract the Gargoyles!"

"If that's not the reason he's crying!"

They sprinted down the path at full speed. _Please be okay._ Sarah thought, desperately. _Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay!_

He was in a corner, holding Lancelot. Jareth got to him first, picked him up, and looked him over. "He's fine, the Gargoyles didn't get to him at all."

Sarah let out a loud sigh of relief. But it couldn't be heard over the monstrous growl. "Jareth...tell me that was your stomach."

"That was my stomach."

"Now tell me that you didn't say that because I told you to."

"You're making me lie to you."

They looked around, but saw nothing. "We should get out of here before it shows up."

"That's the smartest thing you've said all night." Jareth said, as the both turned around. The second they did, there was a loud _THUD_ behind them. A loud roar blew their hair everywhere. _It's right behind us._

"Sarah…" Jareth said slowly. "Take the baby...run as fast as you can...and do not turn around for any reason."

As if it was planned, they both started to run again, with Toby bouncing in Sarah's arms, finally quiet. For some reason, darkness scared him more than the monsters that lurked in it. She focused on taking the same path back to the tunnel and not getting lost, trying to tune out the sounds of beating wings, snarls, and growls.

Suddenly, a new noise broke through the night. One she couldn't ignore. The scream of the Goblin King. She looked over her shoulder, freezing in one spot.

The Gargoyle had pounced onto him, and had him pinned on his back. Jareth was struggling with it, trying to keep its enormous crawls away from his face. "I told you not to stop!" he managed to shout. "Go! Go!"

"But-"

 _"_ _Sarah, get the fraggin' baby out of here!"_

She turned and ran. _But he's in danger! I can't just ditch him! He needs my help! But I can't help! The sun's nowhere near coming up, and I can't take on a Gargoyle!_

 _But I have to do something. I have to!_


	15. Chapter 15

She turned down another path, and set Toby down in a very dark corner. "Stay there, or I'll tell your mom."

Sarah had no idea what she was going to do, but she wasn't going to just go back to the tunnel. Maybe it was because she didn't want Rivina to have the throne. Maybe it was because she was really sick of Gargoyles. Or maybe it was because in the last few days, she'd come to realize how wrong she'd been about the Goblin King, and that part of her actually liked him, and didn't want him to get maimed. She didn't know. But she knew one thing: She had to try.

When she was back on the scene, Jareth was still alive, and still fighting the Gargoyle. He was doing pretty well, but the beast was still on top of him. Even if he had a lot of strength, he had no way to escape, and there was no way his arms could hold out until the sun came up.

Sarah had to think fast. _There's only one way to get the Gargoyle away from him._ She realized. _Give it something more interesting to chase._ She picked up a rock that was coincidentally close, and threw it. It bounced off the creature's head, not even making a mark. It looked up with its fierce red eyes, still wrestling with the King.

 _I have to keep its attention._ "Hey, ugly!" It was the best thing she could come up with. "Come and get me, you stupid monster!"

"Sarah, you idiot!" Jareth shouted.

"C'mon, you big bully! Let's see what you can do against me!"

The creature cocked its head, looked down at it's current prey, then back at Sarah. _It's not gonna work._ Sarah dreaded. _It's already got Jareth caught, why go after me?_

Then, she watched as the Gargoyle spread it's wings. Her plan was working! It jumped off the King, who tried to get up, but fell right back down, flew into the air a bit, then began to run after Sarah on the ground.

She ran down the paths as fast as she could. Funny how quick you can go when you've got the right motivation. The creature continued to chase after her. _Now what? Now_ I'm _in danger, and Jareth isn't around to help me! Wait, I'm on the trail Toby was._ Suddenly, Sarah got an idea. It was risky, but it was all she had. _This is where he turned left, so it's right here! Hurdles, don't fail me now_. She turned left, leaving the Toby tracks behind. _Jump...right...now!_

She leaped, hoping it would be enough. The Gargoyle ran after her, when it suddenly fell through the trapdoor to the oubliette Jareth had pointed out. It yelped as it fell. Sarah hit the ground, and thanked her lucky stars. It worked. She was safe. Toby was safe. Jareth... _Jareth!_

She ran back, grabbing Toby on the way, to the Goblin King. He got up, and saw her before she could ask if he was alright. "That was the stupidest thing you've ever done! I told you to keep going no matter what!"

"You would've rather become Gargoyle food?"

"You're lucky that think didn't tear you to bits!"

"I could say the same to you." she retorted. He opened his mouth to shout again, when Sarah noticed something. "Jareth, you're bleeding!"

"Don't try to change the subject! I think I would see if I were-"

"Your shoulder!"

He looked where she was pointing. His shirt had been ripped by the Gargoyle's claws, and was starting to turn red. Four large, deep gashes had been made in his shoulder. "Well, would you look at that?" Jareth noted, the anger flushing from him. "Must've happened when it jumped on me."

"Let's just get back to the tunnel before any more pop up." Sarah suggested. "I don't think we're going to be lucky enough to get out of that again."

They ran back, a bit out of breath, into the wormhole. Hoggle and Ludo were awake, and looking panicked. "What happened to you three?" The troll asked.

"Long story, Sarah's an idiot." Jareth explained.

"Yeah, but I'm the idiot that saved your life, and brought a first aid kit, so what do you say to that?"

"Do you know you're bleeding?" Hoggle inquired.

"It was brought to my attention, and since then, hurts like heck."

"Well I hate to tell you this, but putting disinfectant on it is gonna hurt even more." Sarah rummaged through her backpack, and took out the first aid kit, handing the disinfectant and bandage wraps to Jareth.

"Don't tell me that's your dominant hand." Hoggle cringed.

"Alright."

….Well?"

"You told me not to tell you, so I won't. Jesus, that stings!"

"Told you." Sarah shrugged. "But it's better than not cleaning it."

"Are you still going to able to do magic with that arm?"

"Of course, making crystals and such doesn't use my shoulder. But swordfighting is definitely out of the question. Rivina was never very good at that herself though, so I doubt she'll try it. Curses." He'd dropped the bandage wraps. Sarah grabbed it, and handed them to him again. She watched as he wrapped them around the injury again, when it fell. "This is why I'm not left-handed." he admitted.

"Here, just let me do it. It'll go faster that way." She moved closer to where he was sitting, and looked at the wound. The injury was even worse up close. Thankfully, she didn't really have problems with blood. "You know, this shirt is probably going to turn out pink when you wash it. The stains already set, and red on white is usually a bad combination." She wound the wrap around his arm over and over until the blood couldn't be seen.

"Sarah, stop staring at my muscle."

"I'm not, I'm just bandaging your arm. Don't flatter yourself."

She explained what had happened while tending to Jareth shoulder. When she finished talking, Ludo summoned some rocks to cover the hole, so Toby couldn't escape anymore, and he and Hoggle went back to sleep, leaving Sarah and Jareth in all their awkwardness. _Wow, these bandages take forever. These cuts are really deep. Wonder if they'll scar._

The quiet of the night was interrupted by Jareth's voice. "Are they asleep yet?"

She glanced at Hoggle and Ludo, wondering why he was asking. "Yes."

"...Alright, you held your tongue all day, so just get on with it already."

"I would if I had any idea what you were talking about."

"The little incident from last night. I'm assuming you witnessed a few things you didn't quite understand, and if you don't get them out, you might explode."

She placed a piece of tape on the wraps, partially in shock. She figured the night's events had made him get over the crystal ball chaos, but she didn't expect him to let her ask him about what she'd seen. "Are you sure?"

"I'm not guaranteeing an answer, there's things even I don't know. But having you ask your stupid questions is better than having to mop your remains off the walls."

"...Thanks for that image."

"Any time."

Her mind raced. She wanted to know so many things, but didn't want to push him too hard. "Ummm...alright." She saw him lay on his back, and she did the same. Sarah was suddenly stuck with a horrible thought. "Is it hereditary?"

"What?"

"The sickness your mom caught. Is there a chance you could get it, too?"

He turned to face her. _"That's_ you first question." Apparently, Jareth hadn't expected her to ask about his health and well-being. Frankly, neither had Sarah. "No, it was just something that happened. Her health wasn't what it used to be, and she was getting older."

"That's really sad. It must've been hard to watch."

"Those aren't questions"

"So you and Rivina had a good relationship until your parents died?"

"Who knows? For all I know, the whole thing could've been just a bunch of malarky to get me to trust her."

"So you have trust issues because of that?"

"Are we really doing the therapist thing again? I do not have trusted issues."

"So do you trust me?"

"...Well, do you trust _me?"_

"I asked you first."

"I'm the King. The King's question always gets the answer first."

"Fine then we'll say it together then."

"Fine. On three. One."

"Two."

"There. Yes...Sarah, you little cheat. You didn't say anything."

"I'm wanted to hear you say it."

"Well do you trust me, or not?"

"...Yes."

They turned and looked at each other, their eyes meeting again. "Those were really the only questions I had. We should probably go to sleep."

"Don't lose the baby this time."

"Hardy hard har. Good night, Jare."

"...What did you call me?"

"Hm? Oh, sorry, I mean Jareth. Or do you want me to call you Goblin King since that's your title?"

"Ew, no. What you said was fine. Just go to sleep."

"Okay. Goodnight….wait, you actually ate _lizard Lips?_ "

"It's not as bad as it sounds."

"Lizards don't even have lips where I come from."

"Goodnight, Sarah."


	16. Chapter 16

Sarah slept through the rest of the night without any more interruptions or crazy dreams. She woke up quietly, but didn't open her eyes right away. She felt something soft and furry against her face. _Aww, how sweet. Merlin came to sleep in bed with me. Such a good doggie._ She reached out and stroked what she thought was her beloved pet.

"Huggle, she's stroking my hair. Should I be concerned?"

"For the last time, my name is Hog...she's doing what?"

 _Good Merlin._ Sarah thought, still half asleep.

"She's petting my hair like I'm some kind of animal."

"Well she does have a dog, I think."

"Since when do I look like a dog?"

 _Such a good British Merlin...British?...wait my dog can't talk! Then who am I-_ Her eyes shot open, and she saw she'd been stroking Jareth's hair. "Ahh!"

"She's awake now." Hoggle explained.

"I got that when she yelled in my ear."

"Why was I...what are you...why am I on your back?" Sarah asked.

"Sarah tired." Ludo explained, simply.

"Our little adventure last night made you lose a lot sleep, and we couldn't get you to wake up." Jareth grumbled.

"So Ludo's carrying Toby, and he's carrying you."

"Which I still don't understand, considering he's bigger." he snarked.

"Umm...okay. Wait, doesn't this hurt? I mean, your shoulder."

"Well, you're actually not that heavy, so apparently from you drooling on my shirt, I can't complain much."

"I don't drool."

"Tell that to the puddle on my sleeve."

"That could've been there already."

"Of course. Makes total sense."

"...You can put me down now. I mean, I'm awake. Whoa! Don't just drop me!" She hopped off, and took Toby back. _I hope nobody brings this up again._

"So, today's the day." Hoggle began. "We're finally going to get into the castle, and take Rivina down."

"Right." Sarah nodded. "Wait...what do we do with her? You know, once we defeat her?"

"Well, banishment didn't seem to work. And I can't put her in some other world, or she'll start an army." Jareth pointed out.

"Why not throw her in the Bog?" The troll suggested. "She'd hate it there."

"But she'd still be in the kingdom. And there are ways out of there. And it's not like I can kill her. She's my sister. No matter how many times she pulls something like this, we're still blood."

"Then what are you going to do?" Sarah asked.

"Let's just work on the 'stopping her evil plan' part first."

They walked in silence for a while, Jareth and Sarah in the lead, when she remembered something. "So...still wondering about the human world?" _It feels so weird to call home a whole different world._

"I have no idea what you're talking about." he stated.

"Oh, come on, Hoggle and Ludo are too far behind to hear you. Don't be embarrassed."

"I don't get embarrassed."

"So are you?"

His cheeks were turning pink.

"Alright, if it bugs you that much, then I won't pry. I just figured you might want to ask since you've got a living human right next to you."

More silence, when he finally spoke up. "How are you so advanced, when you don't have magic? You're technology and way of life greatly exceeds ours, yet we're more powerful."

 _Aw man, why couldn't he ask an easy one, like "Why don't your horses have horns coming out of their heads?", or "How do you deal with your fairy infestations?" I should've known he'd be smarter than that._ "Well...there's different kinds of power."

"I'm aware of that. But you're so stubborn, and arrogant at times. You don't give up even when you know that odds are, you won't win. Like you in the Labyrinth. You were so focused on getting to the castle, you somehow succeeded even when I threw everything I had at you."

"Well, I had some motivation. You had Toby."

"So, what? You didn't even like the baby when you started."

"Things can change."

"In _thirteen hours?"_

"Well...yeah, I guess. I mean, it took longer than that. When I got home, I still had to think about some things. But it got a lot better."

"...I'm never going to understand humans."

"We're no more complex than you are inside."

"I think my sister might disagree."

"Well, that's because she's closed-minded and uncaring. You're open-minded, and….slightly more caring."

"The human world has proven to be...entertaining."

"Glad to know we can amuse royalty."

"Just don't let it go to your head. There's enough up there already."

"Like my victory against a Goblin King?"

"'Victory' is not the correct word. I didn't lose."

"But I got Toby back in thirteen hours."

"Exactly."

"...What are you talking about?"

"Sarah, haven't you put it together? Everything you did was exactly what I wanted you to. I didn't want the baby. If you gave up. I would've taken him, and used him as an heir. But my goal was not for you to lose."

"Then what was your goal? To drive me crazy?!"

"Of course not, that was just a welcome side effect."

"Then what was it?"

"Why would I tell you when it's so much fun watching you freak out about it?"

"If you tell me why, then I'll tell you how I worked up the strength to get to your castle and get Toby." The words had poured out of her mouth before she really realized what she was offering to say.

"Hmm...alright. But only if you go first."

 _Maybe I should just forget it. I don't really need to know Jareth's crazy motives, do I?_

 _...Yeah, I do._

"I have your word you'll tell me your part when I'm done?"

"Again, I haven't lied to you yet."

"...Alright." _Maybe I don't have to say the whole story. Just paraphase._ "Well...first of all, you kind of brought me to the Labyrinth, and I didn't know how to get back. So I really had no choice but to play your game.

"Then, there was the fact that even if I _did_ know how to get back to my world, those thirteen hours would probably be my last, considering Karen would strangle me when she found out I wished her baby away."

"Yes, I was wondering if you'd thought that wish through."

"And...I also wanted to...you know...prove to myself that I could break the cycle." _Please be a good enough answer. Please be a good enough answer._

"Break what cycle?"

 _Darn._ She looked over her shoulder to see Hoggle and Ludo listening, looking just as confused.

"Well...that's kind of a longer story."

"We've got some time until we reach the castle." The troll pointed out.

 _Thanks for that, Hoggle._ "Well, umm….I'm not sure how to say this. I've never really tried to…" She took a deep breath. "...My mom left when I was six.".

Jareth stopped in his tracks. "...Didn't see that one coming."

Sarah looked at the gravel. "She always wanted to be an actress, but I guess marrying my dad and having me kind of put a damper on that. Then, she and dad started having problems, and I guess she wasn't happy. Then low and behold, she gets an opportunity to go act, and POOF! She was gone.

"After that, it was like every time I blinked, something else was changing. Blink, dad's dating again. Blink, Karen's moving in. Blink, they're married. And finally, it's "Guess what Sarah? You're going to be a big sister! Isn't that great?!"

"Well," Jareth began. "Why wasn't it?"

"It was just that...I didn't want to believe it. I didn't want things to keep changing. And Toby and Karen are living, breathing change. I didn't want a stepmom, or a half sibling, or any of that craziness. I wanted my _mom_ mom. Dad never pays me any attention, and Karen tries to act like she's my mom: bossing me around, telling me what to do, how to behave, and it just frustrated me.

"And even though she never called me or anything, I was always waiting for the day where my mom was going to walk through the door, and ask me to come with her." Sarah brightened a bit, recalling a happy feeling. "Then, suddenly, she was back in town. She was the lead role in a play that was going on, and she was really close. And I thought, 'This is it. She's going to come get me, and then I won't have to worry about Dad, or Karen, or the new baby.' So I waited." Her face fell again. "And she never showed up. She didn't even call, or invite me to see her show, or anything. It was like I didn't even exist.

"The last day her show was in town, the final curtain ran, and she was back on her way to Broadway. And that day just got better. Obviously, I was upset, so I grabbed the _Labyrinth,_ and I went down to the park to do some role play. Acting always makes me feel better. But I got a little too into it, and was late getting home, which set Karen off. I got mad at her, and then she reminded me that I had to watch the baby. With the day I'd been having, I really wasn't up for that at all. Not that they knew what was wrong with me. But they left, and Toby started crying his eyes out. He wanted Karen. That put me in an even worse mood. He was crying because he wanted his mom, but my mom never showed up when I cried.

"So I tried to make him go to sleep, but he wouldn't stop. Then I still had those Labyrinth lines going through my head, and it seemed oh, so fitting for the situation to blurt one out. So I did, and that night just got crazier.

"Then I realized that I'd just wished Toby out of my life like my mom had with me. That scared the heck out of me, and I started wondering if I was starting to turn into her. So I figured, 'Well, if I get the baby back, everything's fine.' So no matter what you did, I knew I just had to keep going, or else risk ditching my own kids when I have them. The end."

Everyone was quiet for a minute, making Sarah feel a bit awkward.

Jareth broke the silence. "So it wasn't the baby that made you say the words. It was everything else that day on top of that."

"Right."

"I don't think you're like your mom, Sarah." Hoggle explained. Ludo wrapped his arms around her in a hug, and Hoggle joined in. Sarah smiled, when she felt an awkward patting on her head. It was the closest thing to comfort she was going to get from the Goblin King.

They released her, and kept walking. "Alright, now it's your turn."

"I'm not sure you want me to tell you this." The King cautioned. "You seem to be very proud of your 'victory' over me."

"Well, I still want to know."

"Very well." Jareth began. "You refer to our previous encounter as a game. That is not all around innacurate. But what it really was was more of a battle of will. Who's was stronger? Your will to get the baby back? Or mine to keep you from getting to the castle in time?

"With that in mind, I wasn't trying to stop you really. I was trying to test you. To see just how far you would go. If I get you lost, how will you react? If I put you in an illusion, how will you react?"

"So what, I was just a little mouse running through your maze?"

"Not really. It wasn't for entertainment, or to drive you mad. It was to teach you."

"Teach me what?"

"Since when are you a teacher?" Hoggle asked.

Jareth ignored him. "Appreciate what you have, rather than dwell on what you wish you had. Don't take things for granted. And don't pretend you know everything."

"Okay, see, I did that last one this time, but not before."

"Oh, really?" He cleared his throat, and made a bad imitation of Sarah's voice. " _'It's a piece of cake. This Labyrinth is so easy. I'll just swing my hips down these walls right up to the castle with no problems whatsoever.''_ "

"I only said that first one. And I don't swing my hips like that."

"So you're saying you had her entire experience through the Labyrinth planned out?" Hoggle asked.

"Not exactly. Her friendship with you, the beast, and the...fox...dog...thing...came as a surprise. And I expected her to give up."

"I thought you were trying to teach her."

"Doesn't mean I thought it would work."

"Wait, wait, I'm still confused." Sarah said. "So you were trying to teach me a lesson. Why?"

"You saw inside the crystal, didn't you? Now why would I want to try and teach you how to get along better with your younger sibling? Or appreciate the family you have now, while they're still there for you?" His hand automatically went to the pendant around his neck.

Sarah had the strangest urge to give Jareth a hug. But she figured it was a bad idea. Instead, she asked if he would hold Toby. He accepted.

"I tried everything to push you to forget the baby." he continued. "I threw you into the Bog, confused your brain, heck, I even made you forget the baby existed...how did you remember that, anyway?"

"I don't know. I mean, I broke out of the masquerade ball illusion….what was that about?"

"I asked you first."

"I broke out of that, then I woke up in the dump, and that crazy lady tried to convince me to stay in the fake bedroom...then...she kept piling all of my things on me. Everything I liked. But I realized that my favorite bear, Lancelot was missing. For weeks, Karen had been taking him because it got Toby quiet. It wasn't there. I started wondering why it was gone. Then, I figured that it was because I gave it to some kid I babysat. That made me think. Suddenly, it just hit me. Now answer my question."

"I like dancing, and I needed to distract you so it would kill time. Although, to be honest, you were not a very good dance partner. Stepped on my feet about six times."

"Excuse me for being drugged out of my mind with your peach."

"You're forgiven."

"Well, a lot of good did come out of that experience." Hoggle pointed out.

"Yeah, oddly enough, it did. I mean, like I said, Toby, Karen and I are all good now. And I had no friends at all, and now I have five, counting Ambrosius."

 _...Wait. Five? Hoggle, Ludo, Didymus, Ambrosius...oh crap, Jareth wasn't supposed to know that!_

Yet he seemed unphased.

 _Maybe he didn't catch onto that. Or maybe...he doesn't mind._

Suddenly he paused, and Sarah froze.

"Aaaahh _choo!"_

"Bless you."

"I don't usually sneeze like that." he wondered. "Unless there's a lot of…" His head shot towards the sky.

"What's wrong?"

"Dust."

"Why haven't you been sneezing the whole time then?"

" _Fairy_ dust. A lot of it makes me sneeze."

"Are you saying she's attacking us?"

"There could've just be a lot of fairies here recently, but I'm trying to figure that out." He scanned the sky, and Sarah did the same.

Everything was quiet. Then Toby spit up.

"Alright, first I bleed all over this shirt, then your sister drools on it, and now there's baby spit on it. I'm burning this top when this is over."

A strange buzzing noise filled Sarah's ears. Like a fly right in her ear. Or a bee. Or -

 _"_ _Swarm!"_ Hoggle shouted, pointing to the sky.

Or thousands of fairies heading right for them.

Countless bright blue dots were flying down on them. Before she knew it, they were all around her, and only her, circling like vultures. It looked like she was in her own personal tornado!

"Sarah!" Hoggle, Ludo, and Jareth all ran towards her, but the fairies attacked each of them, biting, and trying to keep them away.

Sarah tried to swat at them, but there were so many! A cacophony of noise was all around her: Jareth sneezing, Ludo growling, Hoggle cursing, Toby gurgling, and fairy wings beating. Suddenly, the small lights grabbed her, and began to lift her off the ground!

"Sawah!"

She wanted to scream, but feared they'd fly into her mouth. They latched onto her clothes and skin, covering every part of her, and lifted her into the air. Her friends' shouts grew quieter as she was taken higher and higher. _What's going on? Why are they taking me?_ Where _are they taking me?_ The fairies were blocking her view. She could just make out some sort of large blurry object. _The castle beyond the Goblin City…_


	17. Chapter 17

The fairies soared through what Sarah assumed to be a window, and carelessly dropped her on the floor. "Oof!"

"Oh, come now, my little lights, don't be rude." A woman corrected. "She's a guest, not a prisoner."

Sarah froze with fear. She recognized the voice. It'd once belonged to a little girl who liked to ride on her brother's head.

She looked up cautiously. Rivina was smiling, seated on the edge of her bed. Her room was decorated almost identically to the way it had been in the crystal ball. Hideously. She was dressed in a scaly shirt...if it could be considered a shirt. All it really covered was he chest. Her midriff and part of her pelvis were totally visible. The scaly….article of clothing...was dark green, like an alligator's. It was paired with a black and green long kilt that was sliced to show most of her left leg. Her hair was the same as it was the day she was banished, and glittery pink eyeshadow "decorated" her face.

Sarah had lost track of how many times she'd gagged on this trip. But she was a bit too panicked at the moment to do a recount.

"Finally, we meet." The Fairy Princess greeted. "I've been wanting to talk to you for quite some time now, Sarah."

"How do you know who I am? What do you want with me?" she asked, slowly getting on her feet.

"Oh, relax, dear. I'm not going to hurt you. Don't think I'm taking my dislike of your kind out on you. You're different. You're...special."

"What do you mean?"

The fairies had left by now. Rivina got up from her bed. "Big brother isn't the only one who can play spy. I've had my fairies keep watch on the Labyrinth, and report back to me. And you should've seen my face when they told me about how a _teenage human_ defeated my brother! Even since I learned about your little adventure, I've wanted to talk to you face-to-face.

"Tell me, Sarah," she continued. "How did you do it? How did you, a girl with no power, defeat someone as strong and manipulative as Jareth?"

"I...I don't know." she lied. She wasn't about to tell the enemy how to defeat Jareth. "He had my brother."

"Oh, how sweet. An older sibling trying to keep the younger one safe. No wonder Jareth hated you." Rivina laughed.

"You had the fairies bring me here just so you could talk to me?" Sarah asked.

"Well, that's part of it. A small part." She crouched down to eye level. Rivina's eyes weren't mismatched like Jareth's were. They were just blue. Simply blue eyes for a very complicated woman. "I also wanted to get you away from him before he could get his way. Jareth, that is, if you couldn't tell."

"You aren't making a lot of sense."

"Oh dear, I wish I could've gotten to you sooner. But I was a bit busy up until recently. I just hope the damage isn't already done. You see, sweetheart, this entire time you've been around my brother, he's been playing you. Like a puppet on a string."

 _That's not true. Don't listen to her. She wants something from you. Just stay strong until you find out what._

"He got you to trust him by claiming he had never once lied to you." Rivina circled her. "But even then, that wasn't honest! He _has_ lied to you, dear. You just didn't recall, there was too much going through your head. Remember the rules he set on your previous adventure? Thirteen hours to get to the castle. And then he only gave you ten!"

This took Sarah by surprise. "What? I don't remember that."

"You were in the tunnel leaving the oubliette. He was disguised, and when he finally revealed himself, he asked you what you thought of the Labyrinth."

The memory came to her, finally:

 _"_ _How are you enjoying my Labyrinth?"_

 _"_ _...Piece of cake."_

 _"_ _Really? Then how about upping the stakes?"_

 _A clock had appeared, and with a flick of his hand, Jareth made the hands spin and spin, as her thirteen hours slipped away._

"Remember now?" Rivina asked. "Now, that's wasn't very nice of him, was it? You lost three hours right there. Liar.

"And he's a cheat, too. He wasn't playing fair. He made your friend betray you. He stuck you in the Bog. And then he made you forget your quest entirely! Oh, you poor, confused girl. You had no memory of anything but your name. He put you in that... _horrid illusion_. Thank goodness you got out. In the state you were in, there was no telling what he could've done to you."

She got down to her level again. "Don't you see, Sarah? He's a lying, cheating trickster. Nothing more than that. I know that's a bit hard for you to comprehend after these few days, with the way he's presented himself. He pretended like he was trying to help you. Like he needed your help. Like he _cared_ for you. But he doesn't. Is he powerless? Yes, thanks to me. But everything else he told you was a lie. Now out of the qualities I listed, do _any_ of them sound like ones that belong to good rulers?"

Instantly, Sarah saw where this was going, but allowed her to continue.

"You're right, I didn't call you here to talk about you or Jareth. I have a proposition for you. See, you defeated my brother, something I've wanted to do for years. You're a very strong, smart girl. As am I.

"Now, Jareth may be dethroned for now, but he wants to be back on top. And he'll do anything to get what he wants. You know that. But even without his powers, he can find a way to get back into the throne. He can overcome me. But _you. You_ defeated him. You can take him on! That's why I wanted to meet you! Because I want to ask you, Sarah…" She smiled a smile that make Sarah shiver. "What would you say if I asked you to join me?"

"...Wait, what?"

"Think of it: You could rule by my side. We could change the Labyrinth for the better. No more Jareth, no more Bog, or goblins, or Fireys! Of course, I'd let you keep your little friends, and the baby if you wish. And you wouldn't have to worry about your no account father, or pesky stepmother. Not to mention," she began with a wink. "Cute foreign princes. So what do you say? Rule the Labyrinth with me."

Sarah was shocked. _She wants me to team up. To just...stab all my friends in the back, and abandon my family for power!_

 _Just like she did._

"This is a lot to process, I know." Rivina said, straightening. "I'll leave you to think about the offer." Her heels clicked to the door, and as it shut, Sarah could've sworn she heard her lock it.

 _She's crazy. She thinks I'm going to_ help her _take down her brother, and rule the kingdom! Which obviously isn't true. She would just use me to get what she wants, then lock me in the dungeon, or put me in the Out of Bounds so she could be a tyrant. I don't need to "process" this at all! I'll grow a mustache before I team up with her!_

 _...Now how do I get out of here?_

She looked under the door to make sure no one was around, and tried the knob. Just as she'd thought, Rivina had locked her in. That left only one option: The window.

Cautiously she looked down, a sparkling saw she was in the highest level of the castle. _Don't panic. ._ she told herself. _Just don't look down, and...walk down those bricks that stick out._

She got herself on the windowsill, and lowered her left foot down onto one of the bricks, testing it to make sure it could hold her. When it did she stretched to the closest one, and balanced herself with her palms on the wall. _Alright, good start. Just work your way to a lower window, or the ground. Then you can find everyone else, and get back on track._ Slowly but surely, Sarah stretched from brick to brick, hoping this would be over soon. She found a window on the lowest floor, and figured it was her best bet. _Hoggle and the gang are probably in the castle by now._

She gasped, and her body locked. One of the bricks had fallen under her! Her left leg was now dangling, and she couldn't figure out where to go. She reached out farther for another brick, doing a total splits. _Thank God I'm not in a dress._ Sarah let her feet come together on one brick, and continued on. After what seemed like forever, she climbed through the window.

 _That was way too close. Maybe I should start doing yoga with Karen._ She looked around, and realized she had no clue where she was. But the door was wide open in this room. _Alright, just find your friends, and avoid Rivina and her helpers._

She looked out of the hall, and saw the coast was clear. _They're most likely in the Escher Room, or the throne room. The lanterns on the walls look like the ones I saw in the crystal ball, so I hope this is the way to the throne room._

She ran down the hall, thankful her shoes didn't make a lot of noise. _Just remember the plan: Hoggle and Ludo are gonna take on the fairies, while you take the dolls, and Jareth will try to get to his powers._ Her breath caught as she fell to the ground. Sarah's hands hit the floor hard. She groaned and looked to see what in the world she'd tripped over.

Turns out she didn't need to find the dolls. They'd found her, and taken her down by tripping her with a rope. A flash of sequins, and Sarah knew she was in trouble.

"Good job, ladies." Rivina commended the dolls. "That was fast. Who knows what she could've done if we hadn't h her? So, Sarah...I take it you're rejecting my offer?" Her face fell.

"If you think I'm going to help you, you're crazier than they say."

"Very well." She sort of pushed at the air, and a deck of cards materialized, levitating in front of her. "But you should realize that I'm a better friend than I am an enemy. Now, let's see, which one? I can't just have you running back to big brother and friends, now can I?" One of the cards rose above the others, and with a flick of her wrist and a devilish grin, Rivina flung it into Sarah's face.


	18. Chapter 18

Slowly, her eyes opened. _What happened? Where am I? Oh, that was one heck of a dream…_

But the weird thing was, now she couldn't remember what it was even about. Sarah looked around her bedroom, glad she was back, and not...wherever she was. She sat up, and went downstairs. It was morning, and her parents were already awake, seated at the table.

"Hi, Dad. Morning, Mom."

Her mother looked up from her Banana Frosted Flakes cereal, and smiled. "Morning, Sarah. Sleep alright?"

She grabbed a bowl and spoon, and sat down. "I had a really weird dream."

"Was it about the pancakes and the flaming cat?" her dad asked, skimming the newspaper.

"No, it wasn't that one. I can't remember it anymore, though. So, what's on the agenda for this lovely Saturday?"

"Well, I'm going to run to the grocery store, and then we'll just see how the rest of the day plays out. It's family movie night, though."

"What are we watching?"

 _"_ _The Princess Bride."_

"Ooh, that's a good one." Mom squeals. "Oh, dear, could you take my bowl to the sink, too?"

"As you wish."

Sarah almost snorted her milk. _It's so funny and awkward when they flirt like that. I mean, I know they love each other, but...gaaah._

Her eye caught the maze on the back of the box. For some odd reason, she had the urge to do it, even though it was for little kids. But she didn't. She finished her cereal, and went back to her room to get out of her pajamas. When she was dressed, she sort of danced in her mirror. She just felt so happy. Everything felt...perfect. She had a great family, friends, anything a fifteen year old girl could ask for.

 _"_ _Hoo. Hoo, hooo."_

Her ears targeted the new noise. She went to her window and searched the trees. A brown Horned owl sat on a limb. Sarah smiled, watching the animal. "Oh, look at you. Aren't you handsome?"

 _"_ _Hoo, hoo."_

But for some reason...she'd been expecting a barn owl. A wave of confusion went through her head, and she got dizzy. "I feel like...I'm forgetting something. Something important." She looked around, when it hit her. "Laundry day."

She grabbed her hamper and brought it down to the laundry room.

"Nice job, Sarah." her mother commended her. "You're really on top of things today."

"Thanks."

"...Is something wrong?"

"No, I just feel like I forgot something."

"Did you make your bed?"

"Yeah."

"Floss?"

"Yes."

"Umm….finish your art project?"

She snapped her fingers. "That's it. Thanks, Mom."

"No problem, hon."

Sarah grabbed her backpack and took out her assignment at the table. "Draw an elaborate medieval building. Due Monday. Must have a background and be colored."

She brainstormed. _A tower? A house? Oh, heck, if I'm doing this, I'm going big. Time for a_ castle!

Sarah grabbed a sharp pencil, and a piece of paper...but froze. Again, something nagged at her. Something about castles.

 _"_ _Hoo. Hoo, hoo, hooo."_

Castles and owls. Something about them wouldn't leave her alone. She tried to focus on her homework, but couldn't fight the feeling.

Suddenly, the baby in the other part of her townhouse started crying, distracting her further. _Maybe a tower is better than a castle. It's easier._ She put the pencil to the paper, but her hand jumped as the baby cried once again.

 _"_ _Hoo, hooo."_

 _Uhh, there's too much noise. I can't concentrate! Oh, I wish the baby would be quiet. I'm patient, but this just feels...weird! What's the matter with me? Owls, castles, babies! Why do I feel like these connect? And why do I care?!_

She tried drawing again. _"Hoo!"_ The pencil tore through the paper. Frustrated, she crumpled it up and threw it in the trash. Sarah got another piece of paper, but her anger only grew. Not with the noise, but with herself. She felt like she should be doing something else, should _be_ somewhere else! But she had no clue where or why!

Owl sounds, baby tears, it was all too much. She shot up from the table. "TOBY, CAN YOU JUST STOP CRYING FOR A _MINUTE?! I'm trying to focus!"_

She stood there, breathing heavily. _Toby….Toby, who in the world is Toby?_

 _...Toby...Karen's son! My half-brother! He was crying when I was watching him, and I made a wish! Then...the Gremlin King! No, it was Goblin! And the Labyrinth, and the castle beyond the Goblin City!_ Memories were flooding into her. _Hoggle, Ludo, Fireys, Jareth, door knockers, Bogs..._ Rivina! _Jareth's sister! I'm in her illusion!_

 _I have to get back to the Labyrinth!_

"So how's the project looking, Picasso?"

Sarah jumped at the voice. She turned and looked at her mother, who she greatly resembled. It had seemed normal for her to be in the house minutes ago, but now she remembered. Her mother wasn't supposed to be there.

"What's the matter? You look like you've see a ghost." She walked towards her.

"Stop!" Sarah told her, frantically. "Please, just...don't come any closer."

"Sarah, what's gotten into you?"

 _I have to get out of this. I have to help my friends._

 _But...but she's_ here! _I could have a mom again. I could have a regular family. Things could be the way I've always wished they were._

 _Your friends need you! Who knows what Rivina's done to them while you've been in here?!_

 _But this is perfect._

 _But it's not real._

 _I could pretend it was. And it would be. This could be my life._

 _Toby doesn't even_ exist _in this world!_

 _But Karen could have him with another man._

 _Sarah, stop! You're being selfish!_

 _But she's_ right there!

"Sarah? Honey, if something's going on, you can tell me."

"I just...I don't know what to do!"

"What do you mean? Let me help you."

"I want to be with you, I want this to be my life! But doing that means leaving my friends, and my family! How can you chose family over family?!"

"Sarah, baby, I want to help, but I have no clue what you're talking about."

 _Baby. She's never called me that. At least, not in real life. In fact...she was never like this. She was kind of...distant. She seemed happy around me, but you could tell her mind was on the stage. I never had her attention. She was never this way._

 _...This...isn't my mom. My parents never did that cute flirting they did either. They argued. Alot. About the stupidest things. Is this better this way?_

 _Yes._

 _But this isn't my life._

 _I have a mother who I haven't seen in years, a father who works too much, a stepmother who's more like a mom than my actual mom, and a half-brother that lately has felt more like a brother. He is. And Karen's a mom._

 _My life isn't perfect. It's crazy, and frustrating at times. My family isn't an average one. But maybe I should stop wishing for it to be different, and just enjoy what I have. Because what I want can't be. It's time I deal with that._

 _Because now I've got a great family, and loyal friends. What more can I ask for?_

 _And right now, those friends could use my help. Time to get out of this._

She kicked her chair into the wall. "Sarah!" her mother shrieked. "What's gotten _into_ you?!"

"It didn't work. Why didn't it break? It worked in the ballroom!"

 _Rivina's illusions must be stronger. I don't know how to get out. What if I'm stuck here_ forever?!

"Sarah, you're scaring me, and hurting the wall! What in God's name is going on with you?"

"I can't be here! This isn't real! My friends need my help! I don't know what to do!"

"Calm down. Just...what are you talking about?"

"I want to be back in the Labyrinth! I need to help my friends! I want to be there, fighting with them! I want to babysit my brother! With my family! Not stuck in this illusion! Not stuck with a Not-You _you!_ In my world, you're not around, and dad is too busy for me! And those things just... _suck._ But...a perfect life isn't life at all. Life has ups and downs. Good days, bad days. But that's life's challenge. You have to learn to stop letting the bad things get to you, and...look at what you have. Sometimes a lot of good things come from a bad thing. If my life wasn't the way it was, I wouldn't have met Ludo, Hoggle, Jareth, or Didymus, or have Karen or Toby. I lost one mom, and gained six other people. Ones that actually care about me."

"Sarah, I'm right in front of you!"

"No. You're not. You're in Oregon, starring in _Mamma Mia._ You need to be on stage. I need to get back to the Labyrinth."

"You aren't making any sense!"

"From this point on, you have no power over me! I'm getting on with my life, whether you're in it, or not! I don't want this anymore, _Linda!"_

And just like that, everything around her was destroyed, brick by brick. Sarah was suddenly standing in her school hallway. She was dressed in new, trendy clothes, and kids were waving and smiling at her.

 _That's how this works. Rivina's not trying to distract me, she's trying to tempt me. I have to stop wanting these things in order to get back. Alright._

 _Here goes...what feels like everything._

"I'm the most popular kid in school in this world. Cool. Nobody seems me as that weird girl that reads in the park. But the problem is, I _am_ that girl. If being popular means I have to pretend to be someone I'm not, then I don't want this."

Again, the scene was destroyed. Her dad was paying attention to her. She didn't want that. Karen was coddling her. That was super weird. She _definitely_ didn't want that.

Sarah was hoping that she'd be back in the castle, when a new voice dashed those hopes.

"So...you don't like my illusions?" Rivina asked.

She turned quickly, facing the woman, when she noticed just where she was. The ballroom. In the same dress and all.

"Figured of you didn't like mine, maybe you'd like _Jareth's better."_ Rivina continued. "Do you remember this, Sarah? He'd tricked you again. Scared your little friend so much, he betrayed you. Then he brought you here, and took advantage of you. A poor teenage girl, just trying to get to her brother. Confused, lost, afraid, but he didn't care. All that mattered was that he won. And that's all that matters now. You and your little friends don't mean a thing to Jareth, dear. That's what I've been trying to get you to understand. Once he has his throne, he'll turn his back on you, and make you wish you'd left him for the Gargoyles."

"That's not true."

"Don't tell me you actually believe all that mush about him trying to get you on better terms with the baby."

"I think I believe him more than I believe you."

Right when she said it, she knew she should've kept it in her head. Rivina's face twisted with anger. "I don't know how you managed to get your memories back, but no matter. If you want your friends and family so bad...fine."

A blinding flash. The weight of the dresser left her, but she was still in heels. A new sound surrounded her: Roaring applause.

She opened her eyes, and saw she was on stage, in front of a huge audience. _I'm a star._ she realized. Her eyes made out a few familiar faces in the crowd: _Mom, Dad, Karen, Toby. And in the back are Hoggle, Ludo, Didymus, and Jareth. Everyone's here. And I'm the leading lady in a play. This is what I've always dreamed of._

 _But as nice as this is, I have to get back to the castle. Maybe this could still happen. One day, this might be reality. But right now, my friends need me._

And with all eyes on her, she grabbed the beautiful new dress she was wearing, raced to the end of the stage, and jumped with only one thought. _I want to be back in the castle beyond the Goblin City._

Sarah landed on her feet, back in her running shoes, and was so relieve to see where she was. _I did it! I beat her illusions. I'm back in the castle!_

She raced around the corner, trying to figure out just where in the giant building she was. She had to get back to her friends, and fast. But she couldn't run into Rivina or her little helpers again. She had to be smart with this. She couldn't just run through the castle calling their names, that would draw attention. For once in her life, Sarah didn't want to be noticed.

She quietly walked through the halls when, suddenly, she felt a strong grip on her shoulder. The person turned her around, and Sarah expected to see the Fairy Princess.

"There you are. We've been looking everywhere for you!"

"...Jareth?"

"No, it's Toby. Who do I look like, Sarah? And where have you been?"

"Rivina trapped me in her illusions. What happened? What's going on?"

"You missed everything."

"What do you mean I missed everything?"

"I mean while you were in her trap, we defeated Rivina. I have my magic back, the Gargoyles are gone, everything is back to normal."

"Really? Great! Wait, then what did you do with her?"

"That's not important right now. We should let Hoggle and Ludo know you're alright. C'mon, they're in the throne room."

 _Well that was easy._ she thought. _I missed the whole fight. Lucky me. Oh, wait until they hear about how I got out of her illu…._ "Wait, what did you say?"

"When?"

"Just a minute ago."

"You missed literally everything."

"No, after that."

"We should tell Hoggle and Ludo you're not dead."

 _He said it. Twice. That means…._ "This isn't real. You aren't really Jareth."

"Sarah, what in the world are you talking about?"

"He's never say that."

"Say _what?"_

"You said _Hoggle_! Jareth doesn't ever say his name right!"

"So I remembered this time!"

"It's not that he forgets, it's that he doesn't respect him! I said I wanted to be back in the castle, so it made an illusion of that!"

"You don't know what you're talking about. Your mind is overwhelmed."

"And your arm isn't bandaged from the Gargoyle."

"I'm a fast healer."

"I have to get out of here."

"Sarah, stop and listen to me."

 _If it makes what I want...can't I just say…?_

"Sarah, don't!" A crystal appeared in Jareth's hand. Apparently, in this illusion, they were going to force her to stay.

"All I want is to be back in reality." she said, confidently, hoping it would work.


	19. Chapter 19

The crystal ball flew through the air as the world began to destroy itself. Sarah started to feel very strange. Like her spirit was being returned to the rest of her.

"Darn it, Sarah, why can't I get you to wake up? You idiotic girl, you can't stay out of trouble for the life of you, can you?"

She opened her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time, and at once noticed the mismatched eyes of the person in front of her. She was in the hall when Rivina had found her, lying on her back. Jareth was kneeling on the floor, looking down at her. _At least, I_ think _this is the real Jareth._

"Oh, thank God, you're not in a coma. Hogbrain would've lost it if you were."

"It's you!" She instantly sat up, so glad she was back.

"Ouch, you just knocked your head into my chin!"

"And your arm is still scratched!"

"You say that like it's a good thing."

"It _is_ a good thing! It's really you!"

"...What the heck did my sister do to you?"

"I want in a bunch of illusions with my mom, and owls, and school, and then I was on stage, and then I was in the castle but it wasn't the castle, then I woke up and saw you, and now everything's okay, and….why are you in a dress?" She had just noticed that he was wearing the Tulip gown she'd seen Rivina wearing in the crystal when they were by the Wise Man.

"Rivina wanted to play dress up and used her cards on me. We got away from her, but it seems we got separated."

"Guess we should go find them before she does then." She got to her feet, as did the King. "Pink really isn't your color."

"And the heels aren't helping. I'm getting the feeling that any time I threaten you after this, you'll picture me in this hideous thing."

"Well, after you said it, now I definitely will."

They made their way around the castle, looking for Hoggle and Ludo. Mainly Ludo, since he couldn't be that hard to find.

"What did you do with Toby?"

"We hid him before we got in the castle."

"Good."

"My God, these things hurt. How in the world do you girls manage to get around in these shoes?"

"Why don't you take them off?"

"I can't, it's part of the spell."

"Well, you wear boots with heels. Regular heels can't be all that different."

"They are when the heel is much longer, the shoes are pointer, and they're your sister's size."

"Ouch."

"The sooner we find your friends and get my powers, the sooner you'll be home with the baby, and I'll be out of this flower."

"That's a weird sentence."

"Have you been deaf this whole time?"

They were about to keep going when a large figure rounded the corner and roared. Jareth grabbed Sarah. Her mind was going a mile a minute. _Gargoyle, Rivina's monsters, some weird thing in Jareth's basement…._ "Ludo?"

"Sawah?"

"Hoggle?"

"Sarah!"

"Jareth." The King added, possibly feeling left out.

"We didn't mean to scare you. We heard the clicking of heels, and thought you were Rivina….." Hoggle looked at Jareth, and Sarah could see he was trying not to laugh. Unfortunately, neither him nor Ludo could help it too much.

"Alright, alright, laugh it up." Jareth rolled his eyes.

"Sarah, we were so worried!" Hoggle continued, after a minute. "We had no idea what she wanted you for. Are you alright? She didn't hurt you, did she?"

 _Wow, Hoggle just sounded a lot like Karen when I get home a little late._ "I'm fine, really, I just got stuck in her illusions."

"Something tells me Rivina's not a good ballroom dancer."

"It was a lot different than poisoned peaches." she replied simply, remembering just what had occurred.

"She's a horrible dancer. She literally has no rhythm." Jareth added. "Well, now that we're all together, which, _yay team_ ," he mocked, "We should probably go find my sister."

A flash of sequins. "Then I've just made it much easier on you. Sorry to ruin our game of hide and seek, dear brother of mine," Rivina smirked. "But you were always horrible at it anyway." She made her deck of cards appear, and Jareth lunged at her. In a flash, she used a card, and Sarah felt her whole body tense up. She couldn't even move her mouth! Flicking her eyes to the others, she say the same had been done to them. Jareth was stuck in mid-stride.

"You know, this isn't really a good place for a face-off." Rivina stated. Another card rose, and they suddenly found themselves in the Escher room. "Much better. Especially since one fight has already concluded here. Isn't that right, Jareth and Sarah?...Oh, you're not fun frozen. I want you to try and stop me." Another card and Sarah could feel her joints unlock. The others looked relieved, as much as they could at the moment, except Jareth, who fell on the floor. "If you don't try, I can't watch you fail horribly."

"Rivina this has gone on long enough! Get rid of the Gargoyles, return my magic, take your fairies, and _leave_ before you force me to do something I'll regret!"

Rivina teleported to a high position on one of the Escher stairs. "Interesting. I'm powerful. You're weak. Yet you're still ordering me around. Let me think about it….no, I don't think so. So sorry to disappoint."

"Oh, I'm not the only one you're disappointing."

She admired her nails. "If you're referring to Mother and Father, that's not going to affect me. They were in my way. If they weren't gone, you would still be their _perfect little ruler."_

 _"_ _Rivina, when I get up there, you're going to wish you'd stay in the Out of Bounds! Now I'm going to slap you back there!"_

"You can sure try, but if you get too close, I'm not hesitating to use magic, even when you're defenseless."

"I'll show _you_ who's _defenseless!"_ And he started up a twisting staircase as Rivina smiled like the Grinch before he stole Christmas.

 _He can't do anything without his magic._ Sarah realized. _Without that, we don't stand a chance against her. She's too strong. But how are we supposed to get it back? It's in her cards._ She looked up and saw Rivina had her cards levitating in front of her again, spread out so she could could see each. That's when Sarah noticed something. _Wait...one, two three, four...there's fifty-two cards in a full deck. She only has fifty-one._ "Hoggle...is she able to use Jareth's powers now that she stole them?"

"I don't think _Jareth will you quit letting her knock you down the stairs?!_ I don't think she can, Sarah. If she could, don't you suppose she would've already? I mean, stealing powers, then using them against your brother? That's kind of salt in the wound."

"Uh huh." Ludo nodded, his ears flopping.

"I think she's hiding them then." she said. "It's a hunch, but it's better than sitting here watching Jareth fall down the stairs over and over."

"True."

"Alright, here's the new plan: I'll go search, while you two stay here, and try to help in any way you can. Okay? Try to back up Jareth, and maybe try talking some sense into him. It kinda looks like he's gone off the deep end. And keep an eye out for fairies and dolls...another weird sentence."

"You can count on us."

She smiled, and raced down the small, curved staircase out of the Escher Room. _Alright, Sarah, think: Where in the castle would Jareth never go: His parents room? Maybe, but they probably cleaned that out when they died. Not a good hiding place. The gardens? Lots of space, but he could've gone in there. Come on, you have a brother, too! If you had something you would_ never _want Toby to get at, where would you put it?_

She cringed as the answer came to her. Why of all places did it have to be _there?_

Sarah ran down the halls, thankful she'd seen Jareth's past for once, because she knew where this room was. Thankfully, to when she found it, the door wasn't locked. _Guess Rivina forgot about that part._

She opened the door to the pink colored bedroom full of dolls and dresses. Sarah was back in Rivina's bedroom. She looked around, making sure nothing was going to sneak up on her, and entered. But what came next was something she _really_ wasn't looking forward to. She crept towards the large dresser, and opened the first drawer. Ugly skirts. Not what she was looking for. The one next to that one was socks. Closer, but not quite. She found dressed, shirts, more socks, tights, basically everything _but_ what she needed. And the dolls in the room were starting to freak her out. She could've sworn they were staring at her.

 _There's only a few drawers left. One of these have to be it. Man, I better be right about this._ She opened the drawer in the top right corner, and almost threw up. Of course, she'd seen girls' underpants before. But Rivina's _Madonna-style bras_ and _mentally scarring_ underpants were….well, she just hoped her hunch was right.

Hesitantly, she began to look through the drawer. No card under the bras. _That only leaves….at least they're clean._ Sarah picked through Rivina's underwear. Pair after pair, she found nothing. _This doesn't make any sense! It's the perfect hiding place! What brother wants to go through his sister's_ underwear drawer?! I _don't even want to, and I'm a girl!_

Then….she saw something. A corner underneath an ugly pair of neon green underpants with lavender hearts on them. She picked them up, and relief went through her. A card was in the drawer, depicting a glittery owl sitting atop a crystal ball. She'd found them. Jareth's powers.

She was about to pick it up, when she remembered what had happened when she touched the crystal ball. So Sarah picked up a pair of Rivina's pick gloves, slipped them on, and grabbed the card. For whatever reason, nothing happened. She didn't spontaneously absorb Jareth's magic.

Sarah turned back to the door, when... _Wasn't that doll over there?_

 _Uh oh._


	20. Chapter 20

The creepy voodoo dolls that she'd assumed were lifeless were all looking in her direction, like a group of lions surrounding an antelope. She knew they wanted the card, and they were going to do anything to get it back. _They're just dolls._ she told herself. _Just get back to the Escher Room, get Jareth's powers to him, and watch Rivina fail._

She rushed to the door. They leapt of the shelves, and followed, armed with small sewing needles. Not a very lethal weapon, but there were a lot of them, and only one of her. Sarah raced down the halls, frequently looking over her shoulder at the dolls. Her heart was racing, but she knew had to get back to her friends.

But as she faced forward again, she knew that wasn't going to be easy at all. A swarm of fairies was heading for her. Apparently, Rivina had taken notice of her absence.

 _Fairies in front of me, dolls on my tail...only one option._ She ducked down the right hall, knowing her only chance was to try to lose them, without getting herself lost. The dolls and fairies combined and continued to chase her. This was bad. Sarah saw a door coming up, one she didn't recognize, but it was the best chance she had. She raced towards it, got through, and slammed it before they could get through.

Unfortunately, she heard it lock when she did. It locked from the inside. _Looks like I'm not getting back to the Escher Room_ that _way. But at least the handle is too heavy and too high for them to reach._

She heard the buzzing of wings and click of small doll shoes grow quieter, but she was still locked in without a key. Behind her was a gray, stone staircase leading to who knows where? "Well...looks like this is my only way."

She walked down the cold stairs, trying not to fall in the darkness. _I really hope there's another way out of here. I have to get Jareth's powers to him before Rivina really hurts him. Huh, never thought I'd be_ returning _the Goblin King's magic. A few months ago, if I knew it was possible,_ I _probably would've been the one stealing them. How things can change in few days._

She froze, hearing voices.

"I think I heard someone coming." said a slow, unintelligent sounding person.

"Shut up, you idiot! We can't hear if you talk over it."

Somehow, Sarah thought she recognized them. They sounded familiar. She kept walking, and saw a range of glowing eyes looking at her.

"Maybe it's the King." one suggested.

"He would've said something by now."

 _I'm in the dungeons._ she realized. _With the goblins._

"Whoops. I dropped my head, can someone grab it?"

 _And the Fireys._

"Who goes there?" a goblin asked.

 _What am I supposed to do in this situation?_ "Uhhh…."

"It's a female voice!"

 _"_ _Rivina!"_

"Take off her head!"

The sounds of chains rattling and shouting filled the dungeons. "Wait, wait, it's not Rivina! I'm not even helping her, I'm on Jareth's side on this!" Sarah shouted.

"Stop, you idiots! Can't you tell that's not a Rivina's voice?" One goblin yelled, who seemed to be the leader. "It's the _girl._ The one that said the _words."_

"What words?" asked the dimwitted one.

 _"_ _I wish the goblins would come and take you away right now!_ Do I have to draw you a picture?!" asked one with a bird-like nose and a shrill voice.

"Why are you here?" The head goblin asked.

"It's a bit of a long story."

"We're in the dungeon. We have time." said the idiotic goblin.

"Until Rivina kills the King, or has one of her monsters kill him, takes control, plunges the kingdom into chaos, and beheads each of us one by one." The leader added.

"Not a problem here." said a Fiery.

"That just means she'll give you to the Gargoyles."

"Look," Sarah interjected. "I'm against Rivina, and I have your King's powers in my hands, that about sums it up. Now, Jareth and you other friends are fighting Rivina."

"Hooray, the King will stop her!" said the stupid one.

"He doesn't stand a chance without his magic." Another pointed out.

"Boo, he's doomed!"

"I have to get this card to him, and help them stop Rivina." Sarah concluded, trying to keep them focused. _Wonder how Jareth gets these guys to do what he wants. Most of the time, they're drunk. And when they're sober, they're really stupid._

"Well, looks like we're all in trouble then, since you were stupid enough to get yourself stuck down here. There's no way out." one Fiery told her. "Rivina's gonna take off your head when she's done with your friends. And yours ain't easy to put back on."

"Yeah, there's no way out." said the stupid goblin, sadly. "Except for the one stone that leads to the emergency exit tunnel. We're all doomed."

"Emergency exit tunnel?" she repeated hopefully.

"What emergency exit tunnel?" The head goblin asked.

"The one I installed."

 _"_ _We've been down here for days, and you made an emergency exit?!"_ The leader shouted. _"Why would you put an emergency exit in a dungeon!?"_

"For emergencies."

"Well," said the shrill voice one. "That explains where the prisoners have gone to."

"Jareth had prisoners?" Sarah asked.

"No, but if he ever does, he won't for very long."

"Well, it not like we can get it open." said the idiot. "We're all in chains."

"But I'm not." Sarah pointed out. "Where is it?"

"In the corner, by the spare keys."

 _"_ _Spare keys?!"_ the goblins shouted.

"Then get these chains off us, and we'll help defeat Rivina." one suggested.

She hesitated. _Well...they_ are _Jareth's minions. And they could handle the dolls and fairies._ Sarah walked around, feeling the way, found the keys and freed each goblin and Fiery. The simple minded goblin ran over in the dark to a stone block in the corner, and began to push it with great difficulty. A few other goblins helped out, and Sarah heard the stone move, and a stone door swung open as the continued to push.

They looked at each other, when the lead goblin gestured to the dark, square hole, and made an executive decision. "Ladies first."

Sarah gripped the card tighter, not wanting to lose it, and got down on her knees, gazing into the pitch black hole. "Where does it let out?"

"Um...the throne room, I think."

"Brilliant!" shouted the leader. "The prisoner gets free of the chains, opens up this hole, and when he gets out, he has the perfect opportunity to _murder our ruler!"_

"Well, when you say it like that, it sounds stupid."

"It _is_ st...you know, we don't have time for this, just go through the hole already." he ordered Sarah.

She took a deep breath, and crawled through the exit on her hands and knees, Toby style. It smelled like dirt, and goblin sweat. Sarah wasn't expecting it to be uphill, but remembering she had to go down stairs to get in the dungeons, she realized she should have. That was the hardest part. But she had to keep going. For Hoggle. For Ludo. For Jareth. For Toby.

For the people she'd come to consider family.

"Ouch." She mumbled, as her forehead scraped against stone. They'd reached the end. She pushed the large block as hard as she could. It slide out with difficulty, but hit the ground eventually with a loud _"THUD!"_ Sarah crawled out and brushed herself off as best as she could as the others got out of the hole.

They ran to the Escher Room, Sarah clutching the card, knowing it was their only chance. "What's the plan?" asked the stupid goblin, who was a bit taller than the rest, with a large nose, small eyes, horns very unlike Ludo's, and a big mouth.

"Well…" began the white-haired leader who was ironically shorter than the rest. "Err...well, _she's_ got the card, what does she think?"

"Goblins, you help Hoggle with the fairies. I think she called them. And Fireys, you knock down the dolls, and tell Ludo to call the rocks to run them over when they're down." She said it so confidently. The time had come where her friends needed her, and she wasn't helpless. She knew exactly what to do.

After all, what choice did she have?

She ran up the stairs to the Escher Room, and as soon as she got to the first step, she heard the battle raging inside.

"Oh, come now, Jare Bear, you can do better than _that!"_ Rivina mocked.

"Hoogal, are you and the beast just going to _stand there_ , or are you going to do something?!"

"For the last time, it's _Hoggle._ And we're trying to, but I've got fairies coming at me from every angle, and Ludo's dealing with her voodoo dolls."

"I knew you were pathetic, oh, brother of mine, but this is a new low!"

 _She thinks she's won already. Good. That means her guard is down. If I can just give this to Jareth, we can stop all this._

Sarah walked into the Escher Room, which had fairies soaring through it in a frenzy, the sounds of Ludo calling the rocks, Rivina's insane laughter, and Jareth's grumbling. She just hoped she could get Jareth his powers without Rivina taking notice.

"Oh, look, Jare, you're little human friend came back to help you. How sweet."

 _There went those hopes._

"Wonder where she's been all this time. And why she's…. _wearing my gloves!_ You disgusting little _rat_ , getting your little human diseases all over my best…" Sarah watched in horror as Rivina's eyes widen.

She saw the card.

"...Get her."

 _Oh shoot._ Before she knew what was happening, a group of fairies and dolls were charging at her. The goblins surprised Sarah as they ran to fight off the fairies, and the Fireys rolled their heads into ten voodoo dolls, knowing them down, swiftly.

"Woo hoo, strike!" yelled one head.

Rivina knocked Jareth down the stairs again with a card, when she noticed all the new noise. _"Ewww!_ She got the yucky, warty _goblins_ and the creepy _Fireys_! Oh my poor fairies! You rotten little brat!"

 _Looks like I have her attention._ Sarah realized. _Darn it, Jareth, just get over here so I can give you the card!_ She was about to call him over when, " _Whoosh!"_ Rivina's arrow had just barely missed her head.

 _"_ _Sawah!"_ Ludo cried.

"You're going to pay for that, you filthy little human!"

"Sarah, you idiot, don't just _stand there! Move!"_ The King shouted.

She broke into a run in a random direction. "Any particular place?!" she shouted back.

"I don't care where you go, just don't die!"

"Sarah, for the first time in your life, listen to Jareth!" Hoggle added.

"Aww, you care, Jare." Rivina mocked in a baby-like tone. "I always knew you had a soft spot for humans, but this? I liked it better when you two hated each other. But you two never really hated each other did you?" Sarah watched as Rivina continued to shoot at her. "It's funny actually." The Fairy Princess mused. "You two seem like total opposites. But if you two just learn to put your differences aside, as it seems you have, you are actually very alike. Sarah wants her mother, Jareth wants his parents. Jareth doesn't want the responsibility of being King, Sarah doesn't want to be responsible for the baby. Two cards of the same suit it seems."

Sarah kept climbing and descending staircases, hoping one would get her close to Jareth. Unfortunately, they were both moving around, and each time ended up nowhere near each other! "Jareth, stay still! I'm trying to give you back your-"

 _"_ _You sorry little panties pilferer!"_ Rivina interrupted.

"I don't even want to know what she meant by that." The King said.

"You idiot, she's got your mag- _Watch where you're throwing your heads, morons!"_

Sarah looked up at Rivina, who glared at her, prepared to fire another barrage of arrows. Unfortunately, Sarah didn't watch where she was going, and she ran off the end of a staircase! Rivina's eyes widened, and she laughed another psychotic laugh as she fell.

She landed on her stomach on something that was definitely not the floor. "Ouch! For the love of Lilac Lizard Lips!" Sarah looked up and saw she'd once again managed to use the Goblin King as a cushion. "I'm starting to think you're doing this on purpose. And why are you wearing Rivina's gloves?"

 _"_ _Your magic, I found it!"_ She held out the card, anxiously as Jareth got to his feet, surprised.

"Where were they?"

"You don't want to know."

"You're right, that's not important right now."

Rivina was gasping for air after her fit of laughter, but she stopped when she saw what was happening. "Fairies, dolls, get me that card! Don't let him touch-"

But she was too late. Sarah was knocked backwards as Jareth's magic transformed the King before her eyes. She could make out his devious smirk as the large, pink flower dress he was stuck in caught fire, and was instantly replaced with his heeled boots, dark pants and shirt, and leather cape behind his neck. He looked exactly like he did when he'd appeared in Sarah's window. But this time...Sarah wasn't the one who had to worry.


	21. Chapter 21

Rivina's jaw was almost on the floor. "My dress…" she squeaked.

"Looks like your little game has changed a bit, little sister." Jareth taunted, walking past Sarah.

"She's in trouble now." snickered a goblin.

"You know, Jare...there is such a thing as too much black."

"Says the snobby girl in the giant pink monstrosity. I'm giving you one final chance, Rivina, to leave before I do something I might regret."

"You think just because you have your magic, I'll back down? If only it were that easy, right, Jare? You're _weak,_ just like I always knew you were. You can't do a thing to me. Not even if you tried. I mean look at your army: A girl, a troll, a beast, Fireys, and goblins. _Soooo_ scary. Think about it Jare Bear, what are you going to do, hmm? You can't kill me. Banishing didn't work out as planned, surprise, surprise. You've got nothing left. I, on the other hand, have everything. My powers match yours, apart from you being able to turn into a little birdie. I have dolls, fairies, Gargoyles awaiting sunset, and...your weakness."

"Oh, really?" Jareth mused. "Do share."

"I've been looking for it for years. You gave it away in the Labyrinth, the other night. My fairies told me all about it. Don't you recall how your shoulder got injured?"

Sarah looked at Jareth, and saw him glance at her, as if to make sure she was still there.

"You almost lost your life because of this little chink in your golden armor. Now I know just how to use it." Rivina smiled.

"Touch Sarah, and you'll wish you weren't born, you wench!" Hoggle shouted up to her.

"Big words from such a small troll. Now, Jareth, no holding back. I want you to give me your best when I use your weakness."

"Nothing you bring on will stop me from returning our parent's kingdom to its former glory." He growled, making a new crystal in his gloved hand. Rivina smirked at him, and tossed a card into the air. But when it came back down, it wasn't a card at all, but-

 _"_ _Toby!"_ Sarah shrieked.

"Aww, he's kind of cute for a human." Rivina admitted, cradling Toby.

"Rivina, leave the child out of this. This matter is between you and I." Jareth sneered.

"See, you don't want me to use the baby. You like him. You know, maybe once I get rid of you and your new little friends, I'll keep him as my heir. Wasn't that what you were planning to do if Sarah didn't finish the Labyrinth?"

Sarah's eyes darted around. _You have to do something. You have to get Toby away from her. He's in danger, and as long as she's got him, Jareth can't touch her._ Slowly, she walked towards another staircase, and went down it, hoping it would get close to Rivina.

"I mean, it makes sense." The crazy woman continued. "I mean, you're over five hundred, no woman can stand you, and you have no children. Why not steal someone else's?"

 _Keep her attention. Just do me a favor and keep her attention so I can get my brother._ The first set of stairs led her to the far right, away from the action. She went to the next case, and the one after that, and even after that. _I really hate stairs right now._

Finally, she was right behind Rivina. "For the final time," Jareth growled. "If she asked me to take him, it's not stealing. You don't even know what happened, you were banished."

Sarah seized the moment, and ran to Rivina. "You'd be surprised how fast big news can travel." she told her brother. Sarah's eyes were locked on Toby, who was squirming. Suddenly, Rivina spun around, and wrapped her free arm around Sarah, pinning her arms to her sides. "Oh, look, Jare, I've got both of them now."

Sarah looked across from them at Jareth, who hit himself in the forehead with the hand not holding the crystal. This was getting more and more complicated. Now Rivina had two things on Jareth, and he was the only one who could take her on. Sarah looked at Toby, who didn't seem to like Rivina at all. She knew she had to do something. She had to get them both away from her.

Then she saw Rivina's curly blonde hair, and got an idea. It was really simply, but it was all she had. "What are you going to do _now,_ Jare Bear?" Rivina taunted. "Magic isn't too helpful right now, is it?" She went into another chorus of psychotic laughter, and Sarah seized her chance. She tore her arm from Rivina's grasp, reached up to her golden locks, and yanked as hard as she could, for a moment feeling like Toby.

Rivina shrieked, and her arms went to her head, causing her to release Sarah, and drop Toby. Sarah instinctively caught her brother before he hit the floor, and ran, Rivina shouting behind them as Sarah ran down the closest staircase. "Rotten human! She pulled out _three_ of my hairs! Get them, you stupid fairies! Get them before _ahhh!_ You almost whacked me the head with your stupid crystal!"

"No idea how I missed such a _giant_ target!" Jareth spat back.

 _Get her, Jareth! Stick her in an illusion forever!_ Sarah mentally commanded. She saw that Hoggle, Ludo, and the Goblins and Fireys were all battling the fairies and dolls still, and from her point of view, _beating them. Now all I have to do is make sure Rivina keeps away from Toby, and Jareth can kick her butt!_ She looked up, and saw an owl skillfully dodging each card his sister threw at him. She was running out of them quickly. _We're gonna win._ Sarah realized. There were times when she'd doubted it, but now they were so close.

Jareth and Rivina continued to battle, as crystals and cards were thrown every which way. Jareth transformed from owl to person over and over, it made Sarah a bit dizzy. But every time he did, she noticed that there was always a flash of glitter, just like there were sequins whenever Rivina appeared. The glitter was even more noticeable in the moonlight that shone through the windows. Sarah's eyes widened, as she realized what that meant.

 _Moonlight. No sun. That means -_ Toby started crying, as he noticed the bloody eyes watching them both. Sarah saw the Gargoyle come out of its hiding place, and held her breath, not knowing what to do. It was faster than her, and had wings. She was in a confusing room, and all her friends were a bit preoccupied…

But that didn't stop her from screaming and running away as fast as she could. Toby cried louder as the Gargoyle rushed after them. Sarah shouted for help, _"HoggleLudoJarethFierysGoblinsheeelllllpp!"_

"Sawah!"

"Jareth, do somethin'!"

"Oh, sure, let me just drop this giant fight with Rivina, and grab Sarah! One of you is going to stop the Gargoyle!"

"But what are we supposed to beat something made of _rock?_

Suddenly, one of the loudest sounds Sarah had ever heard filled the Escher room. The stairs shook, and Sarah winced as she covered Toby's small ears instead of her own. The noise was a combination of a lion's roar, and rolling thunder.

To her horror, Sarah realized that the noise had caused her to freeze in one stop. She looked behind her and was shocked to see that the Gargoyle seemed to be having some sort of seizure. Its head was twitching, and its body looked like it was being electrocuted. Sarah jumped at her chance and ran until she and Toby were on the other side of the room. _Wait...I know that noise._ It hit her, and she smiled, "Ludo!"

She looked and saw she was right. Ludo was using his "roar" to do something to the monster. Everyone but Ludo was stuck in one spot, as the ground continued to shake, all stunned at what they saw.

"Ludo, what're ya-" Hoggle began, but Sarah suddenly realized what was happening.

 _The rocks. Ludo can call rocks with that sound. And Gargoyles are made of_ stone! _Ludo can stop the Gargoyles!_

There was another horrible noise as Rivina's monster roared back at Ludo, still shaking, before breaking into countless pieces as if it were glass.

The fighting had stopped, as Ludo nodded, happily, before there was a sudden outburst.

 _"_ _Yes!"_ Jareth grinned. "In your _face,_ Rivina! My rock monster can beat yours!"

Rivina looked like she was about to explode. "...You know, Jare, I wonder...what would become of your little humans friends if you weren't able to help them?" And with that, Sarah watched as another card rose from her fleeting deck, and flew towards Jareth. He responded the same way as he did with all her other cards: he transformed into his owl self.

But that was exactly what Rivina had wanted. Sarah watched in horror as her face twisted into a smirk, and the card suddenly became a large net. Owl Jareth tried to dodge it, but found himself caught before he could. "No!" Sarah yelled, but instantly covered her mouth as Rivina's crazed eyes flicked in her direction.

"Why didn't I think of this earlier?" she asked herself. Sarah had no idea what to do. Jareth couldn't defend her, and Rivina was targeting her and Toby! The woman looked through her deck, and Sarah broke into a run, holding her brother tightly, but kept looking at Rivina.

"Jareth, you have to get out of there!" Hoggle shouted.

Jareth transformed back into his human self. "I'm using my sword, but it's not cutting the ropes! What do you expect me to do?!"

"Something else!"

"Oh, Jare, don't you know anything about voodoo?" His sister mocked, her eyes widening. "Ooh! The perfect card!"

Sarah faced forwards again, and skidded to a stop just in time. The staircase she was climbing stopped abruptly! She looked down, and saw she was about five stories up! _Oh my God...If I jump from this height, it'll shatter my neck! Where do I go?!_ She turned around, hoping that she could get down the stairs, but saw she was too late.

Rivina's card rose, and she smiled, deviously. "I've always hated humans. But I love dolls. So why not turn my least favorite thing into the best thing? Goodbye, Sarah! Maybe I'll send your parents their little baby doll!" And she flicked the card right at Toby.

It seemed like everything beyond that point went into slow motion. Sarah could only watch as the card whirled closer and closer to the baby in her arms. Jareth was struggling in the net. Rivina was laughing.

"Jareth, stop her!" Hoggle shouted.

"How?!"

"Use your magic! Do _something!_ "

"Sawah!" Ludo thundered.

"Jareth!"

Sarah saw something change in the King's face. _"Hoggle, make sure Rivina is stopped!"_

Something inside Sarah suddenly kicked in. She had to keep Toby safe. Even if it meant taking the bullet for him. She dropped to her knees and covered Toby, as if she was ducking for a tornado drill. She placed her hands over her head, and just waited. This was the only thing she could do. _If Rivina's card turns me into a lifeless doll, at least Toby won't be affected. Then the others can find a way to stop her, and free Jareth, and he'll bring Toby back to Dad and Karen._

 _I hope they remember to walk Merlin._

She felt something crash into her. Something much larger than a tarot card. It knocked her onto her back, but thankfully, she didn't fall from the stairs. Sarah groaned and sat up quickly, making sure Toby was alright. _..I'm not a doll._ Sarah acknowledged. _Toby's totally fine. And...everything is oddly quiet._ She looked back at Rivina, extremely confused….but Rivina wasn't there.

All that was on the staircase she just stood on was a small doll that was identical to Jareth's sister and an empty net. Sarah looked around, and watched as the dolls exploded into sequins, and the fairies quickly retreated through the windows. _We won…..we actually defeated Rivina!_ Sarah got to her feet, relieved she wasn't a doll. "Hoggle, Ludo, Jareth, we finally…." _Wait...where's Jareth?_

Before she could ask, Hoggle ran up the stairs to her and looked at the end. "He didn't...how could he…" Sarah heard him mumble.

Then, the last minute ran through her head: Her and Toby in danger, Jareth shouting at someone else to stop Rivina, as if he couldn't, and then something knocking her over.

It wasn't something...but _some_ one. _No...he wouldn't do something like that._ "Hoggle…?"

He looked at her, shocked. "He just...teleported out of the net, right in front of you. He blocked her card."

"So Jareth-"

"I don't see him." He told her.


	22. Chapter 22

Ludo joined them both at the end of the stairs. Could it be true? Was Jareth gone? Had he allowed Rivina to turn him into a lifeless doll just to keep Sarah and Toby safe?

"He actually said my name right." Hoggle said.

Sarah looked down the edge of the stairs, hoping that there was some other reason why Jareth seemed to disappear. The only thing she saw was small flakes of glitter.

She straightened, and held Toby against her shoulder. Hoggle was the first to break the silence. "...That rat…"

 _"_ _Hoggle!"_ Sarah shouted.

"Well, he was! I knew 'im since he was small. When he was a kid, he seemed fine. Like someone fit to rule. Then everything went downhill when King Haytham and Queen Evanora passed, and after the whole Rivina insanity, Jareth turned into a ruthless, brutal _jerk._ And from then on, I hated his guts! Then, you show up this time, and somehow, you manage to turn him back into...not as _much_ of a jerk, and he saved you from the Gargoyle the other day, and I started thinking, 'Finally, he's turning into the ruler his parents wished he'd be.' And now he finally does something amazing, and heroic, and just like that, he dies! How does that not spell out 'Rat that drives you crazy, and you really want to throw him in his own Bog every now and then, but then he does something great that makes you not hate him'?"

Sarah didn't quite know how to answer that. Ludo frowned, his ears drooping. She took a deep breath. "He wasn't a rat. He was...a jerk, yes. And from the second I met him, I thought he was a villain. He certainly acted like one. Then, I came back here the second time, and...I'm not sure why...but it was like there were times when I was seeing him in a different light. Maybe it was because he was powerless. Seeing him vulnerable made me see who he really was. Behind the magic, and the illusions...he was just like anyone else. He missed his parents. He was confused on what he was supposed to do. Uncertain on how to rule the kingdom. And he was constantly fearing that he wasn't making the right choice.

"Jareth put on the illusion that he was an arrogant, confident ruler who wouldn't let anyone get in his way. And at times, he was. But in these three days, he was more than that. Maybe he always was, and we couldn't see it."

She cleared her throat. Some glitter had gotten into her mouth. For a moment she wondered how it got all the way up to where they stood. Toby started to squirm and giggle for some odd reason. _Now who's going to rule the kingdom?_ Sarah thought. _Jareth was the last of the royal bloodline._

Her thoughts were interrupted again when Toby started kicking and reaching out for something. "Ow! Toby, stop! Hoggle, can you grab him? Hoggle? Ludo?" She looked at them and saw they were both staring at something. "Ouch! That was my ribcage! Toby, quit it!" _Why is he acting like this?!_ She wondered. _The only other time he's done something like this was when he wanted Jareth to hold him, but-_ Her eyes widened, and she followed Hoggle and Ludo's gaze.

A sparkly barn owl was next to her, holding the Rivina doll in one of its talons.

Her jaw dropped, and glitter went into her mouth as the owl transformed. "Want me to take him? You look like you have your hands full."

"You...but didn't...I thought...and she...but you…"

"What?" asked Jareth, who was crouched down to Sarah's height. "You thought falling off a case of stairs would kill me?"

 _"_ _Yes."_ They said in unison, except Toby.

"Sarah, honestly, as much as I wish you would, I'm certain you didn't forget what you saw in that crystal. I jumped off stairs for fun. Just because I haven't in a few thousand years doesn't mean I don't know when to turn into an owl to avoid splatting on the floor." His smirk grew as his gloved hand pinched Sarah's cheek. "What's the matter? Was someone worried about me?"

A mix of anger and relief was fighting inside Sarah. She swatted his hand away. "Hardly!"

"Really? Because I could've sworn I heard a certain someone saying some very interesting things about me."

Sarah was about to fire back, when Hoggle spoke. "Wait a sec. Rivina shot a card at you. How in Bogs name are you still... _you,_ and not a doll?"

"And why did her magic fire back at her?" Sarah asked, looking at the Rivina doll that Jareth held in the hand not cradling Toby. She watched as he set the doll down, and grabbed his pendant.

"Must've bounced off of this, I suppose." he said, simply.

"...You mean...you didn't expect it to backfire?" she prodded, surprised.

The King paled, realizing his mistake, and tried to recover. "Of course I did, that was the whole idea."

Now Sarah was smirking. "But you didn't expect it to ricochet off your necklace."

"Yes, I did."

"Then why didn't you say, 'I blocked it with my pendant, just like I planned'?"

"Because...because…"

She brightened. "Admit it, you were gonna take a bullet for Toby and I!"

"That's not the reason! I was trying to stop my psycho sister!"

"Is too, is too! You were going to sacrifice yourself!"

"Why would I do something stupid like _that?!"_

"Because you were panicking, running out of options, and you _care!"_ And before she even knew what she was doing, she wrapped her arms around the Goblin King, being careful not to crush Toby in the hug. He tensed, obviously very surprised, and very, very, very, _very_ uncomfortable.

"This is highly uncalled for." he told her. "...Seriously, let go of me. Neither of us have showered in three days. Sarah, will you let go of me?!"

"After you admit I'm right, and that you actually care about us, and we've changed you for the better."

"I'd rather die."

"You almost did."

"Hoggle, get her off me!"

"...You said it right again." The troll beamed.

"Yeah, and? Just get Sarah to stop hugging m-" Sarah felt another pair of arms. "...How did you get 'Hug me' out of 'Stop Sarah'?" Jareth asked.

Sarah smiled, her head still on his shoulder.

"Neither of you are going to let go of me any time soon, are you?...Oh, what the Hell? Ludo, just get over here." Ludo's furry arms wrapped around all of them, and he made a kind of purring noise. "There." Jareth grumbled. "Happy now? Everyone's alive...everyone's hugging...everyone smells really bad...and I think the baby is urinating."

"Eww!" Sarah released the King's soft leather jacket, and they all broke apart. She took Toby, only to find he was totally dry. _He tricked me again._ she realized. Yet for some reason, she was still smiling.

Jareth got up, brushed himself off, grabbed his doll sister, and with a wave of his hand, made them all appear in the throne room. Rivina's new decor was still up. The Goblin King produced a new crystal in his hand, and threw it. Sarah watched as it shattered in the middle of the room, and the scenery began to change. Rivina's bedazzled throne once again became Jareth's not-bedazzled one. The floor turned back to its usual color, and the walls were freed from the pink fur wallpaper.

"Finally," Jareth began. "Everything's back to the way it should be."

"So Rivina's stuck like that forever?" Sarah asked.

"Even if I wanted to change her back, I don't have that kind of magic." He whistled, and a few goblins rushed up to him. "Put this in the room no one ever goes in. And be _careful_ with it."

For a minute, she wondered what room he was talking about, but realized she'd had enough adventure for a while. It was time to go home. "Umm, Jareth?"

"The kingdom is back to normal." he said, not hearing. "The Gargoyles are gone for good, I don't have to worry about my sister, and the fairies have gone back into hiding. Now the only thing left to do is finally relax."

"Aren't you forgetting somethin'?" Hoggle posed.

"Hmm? Oh, that's right, I have to get the Goblins to do the laundry."

Hoggle whacked himself in the forehead.

Sarah cleared her throat. He turned around and looked at her. "Not that this hasn't been fun, what with almost getting killed multiple times, but Toby and I really need to get home before our parents get back and see that we aren't there."

Now it was Jareth's turn to hit his head. "Sorry. Distracted."

"Bye, Sawah." Ludo walked forward, hugging her again.

"Aw, don't worry. I'll see you guys soon."

"Stay outta trouble." Hoggle ordered.

"Oh, knock it off, will you?" Jareth said, forming a new crystal. "It's not like you aren't going to see her again. In fact, now that she knows the mirror is a passage, we'll probably never get her to stay away."

Sarah hugged them both anyway, and looked at Jareth, who told her quickly, "Hug me again, and I swear, I'll throw you in the Bog for all eternity."

"I don't smell much worse than it at the moment." she pointed out.

"Got that right." he mumbled. "Well, thanks for the very _little_ help you were on this horrible journey. You're an annoying little brat. And I hope you never come near my castle again."

The idiotic goblin, who was standing by the King, looked at Sarah. "I think he's trying to say thank you, he considers you a friend, and hopes you'll visit."

"That's the smartest thing he's ever said." Hoggle told them.

"Shut up, you stupid Goblin." The King growled. "Her head's big enough as it is. Anyhow, you really should get home, so…catch."

The transparent crystal flew through the air. Sarah caught it in her hand that didn't have Toby, with the baby bag on her back. She shut her eyes, relieved that finally, it was over.


	23. Chapter 23

When she opened her eyes, she was looking at her reflection in the bedroom mirror. Her hair was dirty, and had a few flakes of glitter in it. There was dirt on her jeans, and her shoes were just…gross. Toby looked a little better, since he had spent most of the time being carried. His knees and hands were kind of dirty from his little midnight adventure, but other than that he looked presentable.

Sarah sighed, relieved to be back home. She looked out the window, and saw no car in the driveway. _Thank God, they're not home yet. It's only one thirty in the morning?! I was there for three days!_

Sarah took the time to change Toby into some clean pajamas, take the fastest shower of her life, changed into PJs, unpacked the baby bag, and by the time that was done, Toby was asleep in his crib, clutching Lancelot.

The front door creaked open, and someone walked up the stairs into the nursery. "Sarah?" Karen asked, quietly. "Why are you still up?"

"Oh, ummm...Toby was having trouble sleeping, so I came in here to make sure he was okay."

"Well, thanks." She smiled, looking into the crib. "Looks like you did a good job. Sorry we're so late, you wouldn't _believe_ how much traffic there is late at night. Anyway, how'd it go tonight? Any trouble?"

 _Trouble?_ she thought. _No, just a crazy woman with the power of voodoo, a giant maze, and tons of monsters. Other than_ that… "Nope, everything was fine."

"Good. Well, thanks again, Sarah. It means a lot."

"No problem." She yawned. "Alright, think I'm going back to bed. Night, Karen."

"Goodnight, Sar-" she gasped, making Sarah turn around. "Look, Sarah, there's an owl on the branch."

She looked out the window and saw a familiar looking barn owl sitting in the tree. _"Hoo, hooo."_

"Oh, I hope it sticks around for a while. The neighbors are complaining of mice, so maybe it can get them before they get into the garage."

 _Unless mice are like Lilac Lizard Lips, I can't see that happening._ "Believe me, Karen. You couldn't get rid of that bird if you tried." she smiled. "Hey, maybe you could sketch it for your art business."

"Good idea. I've been looking for some inspiration. The art hasn't been selling well, lately."

 _She's probably found the only owl in the world that will not only stay still, but pose._ Sarah walked to her bedroom, still hearing Karen. "Oh, dear, we woke the baby. Hi, Toby, it's Mommy. Can you say, 'Mama'? Ouch! Toby that hurt! Ow, stop kicking me!" Sarah went back into the room, knowing what was going on.

"He's doing that because he wants someone else to hold him." She wanted to explain, but how was she supposed to tell her that Toby wanted the owl outside?

The odd thing was, though… Toby wasn't reaching for Jareth. "Sarah, he wants you. I know you're tired but _ow_ can you just take him for a second until he calms down?"

Surprised, she took the squirmy baby, who instantly relaxed...until he yanked her hair. "Ow!" She held him up to her face. "I really hope you grow out of that soon." The owl on the branch hooted with laughter as she set Toby back in his crib and began to leave the room again.

"...Sahwah."

The owl stopped hooting. Karen's eyes widened. Sarah froze in the doorway. "...He spoke." Karen whispered. "Toby said his first word! Where's his baby book?"

Sarah went back over to the crib as Karen bustled out of the room. "Are you...saying…?"

"Sahwah!" he laughed.

 _He said my name. Toby's first word is my name!_ "I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna...yes I am!" She picked Toby up a final time and hugged him.

"Oh, well isn't this a touching moment?" Jareth teased, leaning against the side of the now open window in human form. "Guess you made those cat noises for nothing, hmm? I told you it would be something he hears a lot."

Sarah wiped her eyes, and smiled at him, as he continued. "Family is a funny thing. It seems no matter what they do, how many times they get on your nerves, pull your hair, or steal your throne-"

"You still love them." Sarah finished. "No matter how many times they make you want to wish them away."

"Careful, Sarah." he warned. "You're learning again."

A week had passed since Sarah and Toby's latest Labyrinth adventure. She was babysitting again, but she didn't mind at all. Except after last weekend, this one was seeming a bit...boring.

Sarah walked up the stairs with Lancelot so Toby could sleep with his favorite bear. She placed her hand on the doorknob. "Oh, Toby," she sang. "Look who I fou-" She gasped. Sarah wasn't in Toby's room. She was in her running shoes, on a hill.

One overlooking the Labyrinth, and at its center, the castle beyond the Goblin City.

The door vanished behind her. "What? How did I...but I didn't wish…" That's when she noticed the odd note nailed into one of the trees around her.

 _Kings get bored, too, you know. Besides, I think Toby wanted his_ other _babysitter tonight._

 _You have thirteen hours to solve the Labyrinth, or else the Goblins and I shall have bragging rights for the rest of eternity. Don't expect me to go easy on you this time._

Sarah smiled."So _now_ you want a rematch? Alright, Jareth, but when I win again, none of that 'I wanted you to win the whole time, therefore, you didn't defeat me' stuff."

The letters on the note suddenly rearranged: _Of course not. This isn't a learning experience. This is me proving to you and everyone else that no one can solve my Labyrinth unless I say so. Don't get stuck at the doors again._

"Don't sulk when I beat you." she mumbled. "And no messing with the time."

 _If you're referring to when I sped up time during our first little "challenge", I was true to my word. You had thirteen hours. Three of them just passed in supersonic speed. As I said, don't expect me to go easy._

 _Speaking of time...you're wasting it. See you when you arrive. (IF you arrive.)_

Sarah looked back down at the Labyrinth. "Alright, Jareth, if it's a game you want, you've got a very good opponent." She started down the hill with only a few quick thoughts:

She was going to get Toby back with time to spare. And when she did...she wouldn't let Jareth forget it.

 _To be continued…..._

 **Well, that's the end of this. See, it says right at the bottom, "To be continued"...WAIT WHAT? TO BE CONTINUED?! But that must mean...YES! A SEQUEL IS IN THE MAKING! Keep in mind I need to WRITE IT before I POST IT, so you will have to wait a bit since I have this (and Snape and the New Teacher) to work on, but PLEASE keep your eyes out for th sequel "Love and War". Thank you so much for all your support and comments, they mean so much to me.**

 **P.S. WRITING A SEQUEL TAKES MORE THAN 13 HOURS...**


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